Part 6: Miscellaneous Section 89: TV licence fee concessions by reference to age
Section 365 of the 2003 Act enables the Secretary of State to make provision for concessions in relation to the payment of the television licence fee, which may take the form of exemptions from payment or of reduced rate payments. This includes a concession for a free television licence for those who have reached a qualifying age, currently set at 75 years. The Secretary of State exercises the function of conferring concessions by making regulations.
	This section inserts new section 365A into the 2003 Act to confer on the BBC the function of making provision for a TV licence fee concession by reference to age, limited by subsection (2) of the new section to persons who are aged 65 or over and by subsection (3) to exclude a concession of the same form as that are currently provided by the Secretary of State in relation to residential care. From 1 June 2020 this concession will no longer be determined by regulations but determined independently by the BBC following consultation. The BBC will have the power to make changes to the concession, including changing the eligibility criteria, level of concession and qualifying age (although this may not be lower than 65) or to end the concession.
	The Secretary of State retains the power to make provision for all other concessions. This includes the current residential care concession or its equivalent.