asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will issue free colour television licences to persons who at present qualify for a free licence in respect of monochrome sets.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Colour TV Licences.
6.
The television licence scheme administered by my Department is confined to monochome licences only. A qualified person requiring a colour television licence receives a grant of the value of the monochome licence and must pay the difference in the licence value himself. Amendment of the scheme on the lines suggested by the Deputy is not contemplated.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary not consider he is being niggardly in this matter in withholding the full colour TV licence? I am sure the Parliamentary Secretary is aware that there are numbers of poor people in possession of colour television sets which have been presented to them free. Now they are being asked by the Department to pay the balance between the cost of the monochrome and the colour licence.
I must ask the Deputy to be very brief in his supplementary questions.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not reconsider the answer he has given?
No, it is not contemplated at the moment to change the present system. There may be a very limited number of people in this category who would be entitled to a free licence and who have received gifts from members of their families——
Or from associations.
Yes, but I think if they were in a position to make a gift of a colour television set they could arrange to pay the difference in the cost of the licence.
Is it the attitude of the Parliamentary Secretary and the Government that if a gift of a television set is given the recipient should put out his hand and ask for a sum of money each year from the person who made the gift?
The Deputy is engaging in argument at this stage. I am calling Question No. 7.
The attitude of the Government is that this issue is not a matter of priority. There were far too many aspects of social welfare neglected during the years to regard this as a priority now.