Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to remove the Television Licence exemption for people over 75 years old and in receipt of pension credit.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
To ensure the BBC is on a stable financial footing, the Government has committed to the current licence fee model for the remainder of the current Charter period. Currently, TV licence concessions are available to people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired, people over-75 and in receipt of pension credit, and people living in qualifying residential care who are disabled or over 60 years old. The BBC, rather than the Government, is responsible for the concession for over-75s in receipt of pension credit.
Looking further ahead, the Secretary of State has been clear that the BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review is a key opportunity to set the BBC up for success long into the future.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the loss of terrestrial digital television services after current licences expire in the 2030s on (a) elderly people, (b) low-income households and (c) rural communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.
As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought from across the TV sector, audience groups and infrastructure, including through a stakeholder forum that I chair. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a number of groups representing rural, older and lower income audiences, including the Rural Services Network, Silver Voices and Digital Poverty Alliance.
In addition to independent research led by Exeter University and published last year, the Government has commissioned follow up research to understand in more detail the specific preferences, motivations and barriers regarding TV viewing among a variety of groups including rural, older and low-income households.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the availability of terrestrial television services in rural areas after the expiry of current broadcasting licences in the early 2030s.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.
As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought from across the TV sector, audience groups and infrastructure, including through a stakeholder forum that I chair. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a number of groups representing rural, older and lower income audiences, including the Rural Services Network, Silver Voices and Digital Poverty Alliance.
In addition to independent research led by Exeter University and published last year, the Government has commissioned follow up research to understand in more detail the specific preferences, motivations and barriers regarding TV viewing among a variety of groups including rural, older and low-income households.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not renewing the licences for terrestrial television which expire in 2034 on rural communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.
As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought from across the TV sector, audience groups and infrastructure, including through a stakeholder forum that I chair. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a number of groups representing rural, older and lower income audiences, including the Rural Services Network, Silver Voices and Digital Poverty Alliance.
In addition to independent research led by Exeter University and published last year, the Government has commissioned follow up research to understand in more detail the specific preferences, motivations and barriers regarding TV viewing among a variety of groups including rural, older and low-income households.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people over the age of 75 have been subject to court action for the non-payment of TV Licence in each of the last five years.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Collecting and enforcing the Licence Fee is the responsibility of the BBC. The BBC has recently confirmed that no enforcement action has been taken against over-75s for TV licence evasion at this stage.
The Government has been clear that the BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over-75s concession, and we expect them to do so with the utmost sensitivity.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many over 75's have been subject to court action for the non-payment of TV Licence.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Collecting and enforcing the Licence Fee is the responsibility of the BBC. The BBC has recently confirmed that no enforcement action has been taken against over-75s for TV licence evasion at this stage.
The Government has been clear that the BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over-75s concession, and we expect them to do so with the utmost sensitivity.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many over 75's have been subject to court action for the non-payment of TV Licence in each of the last three years for which data is available.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Collecting and enforcing the Licence Fee is the responsibility of the BBC. The BBC has recently confirmed that no enforcement action has been taken against over-75s for TV licence evasion at this stage.
The Government has been clear that the BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over-75s concession, and we expect them to do so with the utmost sensitivity.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will undertake a review of the provisions of the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004 on the eligibility criteria for a concessionary TV licence for people over the age of 60 and living in sheltered accommodation with more than one room.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
TV Licence concessions are available to people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired, people living in qualifying residential care who are disabled or over 60 years old, and people aged 75 and over in receipt of Pension Credit.
The Government has committed to maintain the licence fee model for the remainder of this Charter Period. The Government is not considering making any changes to the current concessions regime at this time. Issues around fairness and people’s ability to pay for the Licence Fee are issues we will consider as part of the upcoming review of the Licence Fee, as well as at Charter Review.Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the cost of TV licenses for elderly people during the cost of living crisis.
Answered by Matt Warman
The global cost of living is rising and this Government is committed to supporting households as much as possible during these difficult times. When setting the level of the licence fee earlier this year, the Government had to think very carefully about the impact that any increase would have on households.
Therefore, on 17 January, the Secretary of State announced that the licence fee will be frozen at £159 until April 2024, before rising with inflation until April 2028. This settlement aims to support all households at a time when they need that support the most.
The Government remains deeply disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of Pension Credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC. The BBC must look at how it uses its substantial licence fee income to support older people.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people aged over 75 in a) Luton South b) East of England and c) England have been identified as not paying the TV Licence fee since the end of the over-75s concession in August 2020.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport does not hold this information. Under the Communications Act (2003), a fee for a television licence is payable to the BBC. The enforcement and administration for non-payment of the licence fee is the responsibility of the BBC as a body independent from the government.