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1137369

registered interest
date	08/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that people over the age of 75 who do not use the internet will be able to apply, and pay, for a TV licence from June 2020.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16976
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2019 answer text <p>The BBC is responsible for the cost and the administration of the over 75 licence fee concession from June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The BBC says that it will work with older peoples groups, charities and voluntary organisations to design a bespoke system to support all those over 75 affected by its decision. As part of this system, the BBC says that its licensing arm, TV Licensing, will write to all those all those affected, and will use suitable measures such as face to face visits and phone calls to make it as easy as possible for those transitioning to apply for and pay the licence fee.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 19/07/2019 10:41:34 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1137370

registered interest
date	08/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they intend to offer to people who are just above the threshold of eligibility for pension credit to afford the additional £154.54 per year to pay for a TV licence from June 2020.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16977
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2019 answer text <p>The BBC is responsible for the cost and the administration of the over 75 licence fee concession from June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The BBC says that it will work with older peoples groups, charities and voluntary organisations to design a bespoke system to support all those over 75 affected by its decision. As part of this system, the BBC says that its licensing arm, TV Licensing, will be publicising the link between the concession and pension credit. It also says its will be introducing an easy payment system to help those affected spread the cost of the licence fee.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State has expressed his disappointment with the BBC decision to restrict the concession to the most narrowly defined review option. He has asked the BBC to do more for the most vulnerable pensioners, including considering measures around the margins of eligibility and those which further promote the take up of Pension Credit.</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 19/07/2019 10:44:05 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1137371

registered interest
date	08/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the BBC's decision to change the TV licence concession for people over the age of 75 from June 2020 with the Government's strategy to combat loneliness.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16978
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2019 answer text <p>The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is a matter for the BBC. Parliament transferred responsibility in passing the Digital Economy Act in 2017. On loneliness, the Government is taking steps to address the effects of isolation and loneliness on the elderly. These include appointing a minister to lead work on tackling loneliness; publishing the world’s first government strategy on loneliness; and securing £20 million of new grant-funding for projects run by charities and community groups to bring people together.</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 19/07/2019 10:45:46 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1137372

registered interest
date	08/07/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Pension Credit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they provided to charities that work with older people to support the take-up of Pension Credit in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, and (3) 2017–18.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16979
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring that older people receive the support they are entitled to. We work with a wide range of stakeholders, including charities to ensure that accurate information about benefits including Pension Credit is available in the places where people are most likely to go to seek information.</p><p> </p><p>The DWP knows that one of the best ways to reach eligible claimants is through trusted stakeholder organisations working in the community and that is why we have developed and resourced the Pension Credit toolkit, as an on-line tool for agencies and welfare rights organisations to use in order to encourage Pension Credit take-up.</p><p> </p><p>The toolkit contains resources for anyone working with pensioners and includes guides to Pension Credit. It also contains publicity material and guidance designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit and help organisations support someone applying for Pension Credit as well as ideas for encouraging take-up. The toolkit also provides links to information about disability and carers benefits.</p><p> </p><p>Stakeholders and potential claimants alike can use the Pension Credit calculator at gov.uk to check if they are likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive.</p><p> </p><p>Most recently we have provided to relevant stakeholders a fact sheet about Pension Credit and the changes introduced on 15 May for mixed age couples to ensure they are able to communicate the most up-to-date information to potential claimants.</p><p> </p><p>DWP staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres including visiting officers are able to provide help and advice about entitlement to benefits, as are staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing Benefit.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 22/07/2019 12:57:17 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1136751

registered interest
date	03/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the change to the TV licence concession for the over-75s from June 2020 on those with sight impairments; and whether such people will have that concession removed after 2020.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16901
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC. However, the Government has no intention to change the blind (severely sight impaired) licence fee concession, regardless of the age of the recipient.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Guidance on the blind (severely sight imparied) licence fee concession can be found on the TV Licensing website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/blindseverely-sight-impaired-aud5</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 17/07/2019 13:36:38 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1136752

registered interest
date	03/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional support to Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service in order to deal with any increase in cases of non-payment of TV licences by vulnerable defendants over the age of 75 from June 2020.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16902
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2019 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has not made any specific arrangements for any potential increase in non-payment prosecutions for TV licences from June 2020. If required, to meet any emerging demand, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service will deploy its planning and allocation processes to allow for resource adjustment or reallocation.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 11/07/2019 13:29:15 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1136753

registered interest
date	03/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any estimate of the number of prosecutions of people over the age of 75 that may arise from non-payment of TV licences from June 2020.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16903
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2019 answer text <p>No estimate has been made as to the potential increase in prosecutions for non-payment of TV licences from June 2020</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 11/07/2019 13:29:26 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1136754

registered interest
date	03/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that people over the age of 75 who cannot afford to pay for a TV licence from June 2020 will be able (1) to access content, and (2) to be kept informed of current affairs, to support their continued democratic engagement.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>The government recognises the importance of television to people of all ages, particularly for older people who value television as a source of entertainment, companionship and a way to stay connected with the world.</p><p> </p><p>We are very disappointed with the BBC’s decision that only people who are aged 75 and above and in receipt of pension credit will continue to receive a free television licence from June 2020. The Secretary of State has met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and asked them to do more to help the most vulnerable groups affected by the decision.</p><p> </p><p>A TV licence is only required to watch or record live television programmes, or to download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer. Therefore, those without a TV licence will still be able to access other BBC content via the BBC radio stations (including BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer Radio), and the BBC, BBC News and BBC Sport websites.</p><p> </p><p>Further television programming can also be reached via other On-Demand and subscription television services, and current affairs content is available through news websites, newspapers, social media channels and apps, enabling continued democratic engagement. Online parliamentary petitions can be found here: <a href="https://petition.parliament.uk/" target="_blank">https://petition.parliament.uk/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>More information about when a TV Licence is required can be found on the TV Licensing website here: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one</a></p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 17/07/2019 14:04:16 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1135705

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Pension Credit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that those who are entitled to claim (1) pension credit, and (2) a TV licence from June 2020, but currently do not, take up those benefits.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16798
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>In the 2015 funding settlement, the Government agreed with the BBC that responsibility for the concession would transfer to the BBC. The implementation of the licence fee and the concession from June 2020 is a matter for the BBC and TV Licensing, which are independent of Government.</p><p> </p><p>However, we expect the BBC to put in place robust plans to support those who might be affected. The BBC has said it will write to all over 75 TV licence holders advising them of how the new policy will work and when they need to act.</p><p> </p><p>Irrespective of this, the Government is committed to ensuring that older people receive the support they are entitled to and the DWP targets activity on engaging with people who may be eligible to benefits at pivotal stages, such as when they claim State Pension or report a change in their circumstances. The DWP uses a wide range of channels to communicate information about benefits to potential claimants; including information on gov.uk, in leaflets and by telephone. DWP staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres including visiting officers are able to provide help and advice about entitlement to benefits, as are staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing Benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Potential claimants can use the Pension Credit calculator to check if they are likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive. People wishing to claim Pension Credit can do so by calling 0800 99 1234.</p><p> </p><p>One of the best ways to reach eligible claimants is through trusted stakeholder working in the community and we have developed the Pension Credit toolkit, as an on-line tool for agencies and welfare rights organisations to use in order to encourage Pension Credit take-up.</p><p> </p><p>The toolkit contains resources for anyone working with pensioners and includes guides to Pension Credit. It also contains publicity material and guidance designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit and help organisations support someone applying for Pension Credit as well as ideas for encouraging take-up. The toolkit also provides links to information about disability and carers benefits.</p><p> </p><p>Most recently we have provided to relevant stakeholders a fact sheet about Pension Credit and the changes introduced on 15 May for mixed age couples to ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 15/07/2019 16:38:11 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

1135706

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Older People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to assist those over 75 with long-term complex illnesses such as dementia to pay for a TV licence from June 2020.
tabling member printed	Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
uin	HL16799
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>The BBC is responsible for the cost and the administration of the over 75 licence fee concession from June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The BBC is committed to working with older peoples groups, charities and voluntary organisations to design a bespoke system to support all those over 75 affected by its decision. As part of this system, the BBC says that its licensing arm, TV Licensing, will make it as easy as possible for carers and family members to act as representatives for pensioners seeking to claim a free TV licence, including those caring for elderly people with complex illnesses like dementia.</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde grouped question UIN HL16800 question first answered 10/07/2019 14:25:38 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	579 label Biography information for Lord Foulkes of Cumnock