asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if free television licences are issued in cases where a qualified person owns or rents a colour television set.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Television Licences.
5.
No. The free television licence schemes apply only to monochrome sets. Qualified persons who have a colour set are required to pay the £6 supplementary fee for colour licences.
Would the Minister consider this to be a fair rule, bearing in mind that a colour set might be presented free to some such person?
As the Deputy will be aware, the Departments of Defence and Social Welfare administer the relevant licence schemes. The question of extending the existing scheme, if there is a case for that, to provide for the issuing free of charge of licences for colour sets would be a matter for those Departments. Of course my Department would be prepared to co-operate with the two Departments concerned in any arrangements that they considered proper to make in this area.
Would the Minister be prepared to make the necessary representations to his colleagues in this regard?
It would not be appropriate for me to do so, but perhaps my colleagues will take note of the representations being made here by the Deputy. If the Deputy wishes, he may make those representations direct to my colleagues.