Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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690. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of the free TV licence scheme over the past ten years; and the number of persons who were covered by the scheme for each of those years. [39184/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence.

Prior to the capping of expenditure at 2010 levels and the subsequent cut of €5 million in the 2014 Budget for the Free TV licence scheme, payments were made to the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, (DCCAE) for the Free TV licence scheme on a monthly basis using an agreed formula based on a percentage of the Department’s customer base. In Budget 2017 an additional €1 million was made available to increase the payment made to DCCAE.

There are 429,463 customers in receipt of the free television licence as of July 2017. The amounts paid and customers in receipt of the license each year from 2008 to date are

* This figure is the amount paid by my Department to the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment as of July 2017 (€4,432,046 per month, projected expenditure for 2017 is €53,184,552).

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.