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And the next question from Ann :

Ann Keen (PPS (Rt Hon Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer), HM Treasury, Brentford & Isleworth, Labour) Hansard sourceTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people over 75 years in Brentford and Isleworth constituency receive free television licences. Shaun Woodward (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport) Hansard sourceTV Licensing, which administer (as agents for the BBC) free television licences for people aged 75 or over are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, according to the Department for Work and Pensions records the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in 2004-05 in the Brentford and Isleworth constituency was 4,865.

Tim Henderson ● 6903d4 Comments

I'm with you Sarah - the tension is building......oooohhhh

Ian Silver ● 6897d

JimThere are 30 Councillors in the wards wholly in Brentford and Isleworth Constituency, 15 Tory, 7 Labour, 6 ICG, 1 Lib Dem and 1 Independent Alliance. At the last general election parts of Heston East and Hounslow West Wards were also in the Constituency, all of the Council seats in these areas are held by Labour Councillors.

Alan Sheerins ● 6901d

""To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people over 75 years in Brentford and Isleworth constituency receive free television licences.""Was it a trick question one asks?I would assume that the TV licence people in Bristol..would keep records according to postcodes only. That would be easiest breakdown.But as Mrs Keen's constituency covers a geographical jig saw across several post codes..that breakdown may be almost impossible to ascertain.  (We had this issue raised recently about the extent of wards boundaries and the Constituency boundary....and the fact that there were now only 2 Labour Councillors out of 21 seats to the east of the London Borough of Hounslow..as a result of the local electorate's judgement about the local Labour Party's suitability for office)Why did Mrs Keen ask this question. On the face of it ..it appears to be a waste of researchers and Parliamentary time.But there may be a good reason.  Thinking about it, perhaps the our MP could have produced a list of all the house FULL postcodes in her territory..and run them againstThe TVLO's record of  those houses that claim TV licence exemption..because of that age thing.I don't think statistics are Mrs Keen's strong point. Her website still..even after my reminders..show that unemployment in Brentford is as high as 60% plus!!!

Jim Lawes ● 6903d

.. oh goodness, I'm on the edge of my seat!  ... ;-)

Sarah Felstead ● 6903d