Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions took place between the Government and the BBC on free television licences for people over 75 before the decision was made that the BBC would fund such licences; and when such discussions took place.

The decision to transfer of thecost of providing free television licences for over-75s to the BBC was an agreement reached by the Government and the BBC. The Governmentmet both the BBC Executive and the BBC Trust to discuss thison a number of occasions ahead of the announcement.