The Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004

Concessions for blind persons U.K.

5.—(1) Where—

(a) a TV licence is issued to a blind person, authorising the installation or use of a television receiver at one or more places or in one or more vehicles, vessels or caravans specified in the licence; and

(b) each place, vehicle, vessel or caravan so specified is a residence of that person,

the fee payable (including the amount of any instalment payments) shall be 50 per cent of the amount which would otherwise be payable for the licence in accordance with regulation 3.

This reduction in the amount payable is referred to in this [F1 regulation] as the “blind concession”.

(2) In order to establish an entitlement to the blind concession a person must—

[F2 (a) show that he is registered as blind by means of a certificate or other document issued by or on behalf of—

(i) a local authority in Great Britain,

(ii) a Health and Social Services Trust in Northern Ireland, or

(iii) the Department of Health and [F3 Social Care] for the Isle of Man; or]

(b) provide evidence that he is blind by way of a certificate signed by an ophthalmologist.

[F4 (3) A person is not required to provide the evidence referred to in paragraph (2) to obtain the blind concession in respect of a TV licence where that person has previously established an entitlement to the concession by providing the evidence referred to in that paragraph and—

(a) the evidence was provided within the period of 5 years ending on the date on which the licence is issued, or

(b) the BBC are satisfied that the evidence previously provided is sufficient to establish the person’s entitlement to the concession as at that date.]

(4) This regulation does not apply where the TV licence is of a type and description specified in paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 or paragraph 2 of Schedule 5.

(5) In these Regulations—

“blind” means that the person concerned is so blind as to be unable to perform any work for which eyesight is essential;

“local authority” means—

(a)

in England, a county council, a district council, a London borough council, the Common Council of the City of London, and the Council of the Isles of Scilly;

(b)

in Wales, a county council or a county borough council;

(c)

M1 in Scotland, a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994; F5 ...

(d)

F6 ...

M2 “ophthalmologist” means a doctor whose name is included in the register of specialists kept by the General Medical Council under article 8 of the European Specialist Medical Qualifications Order 1995 and in respect of whom that register indicates his speciality to be ophthalmology.

Textual Amendments

F1 Word in reg. 5(1) substituted (1.4.2005) by The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/606), regs. 1(1), 4 (with reg. 10)

F2 Reg. 5(2)(a) substituted (1.4.2007) by The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/718), regs. 1(1), 5(1) (with reg. 13)

F3 Words in reg. 5(2)(a)(iii) substituted (1.9.2016) by The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/704), regs. 1(1), 3

F4 Reg. 5(3) substituted (1.4.2007) by The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/718), regs. 1(1), 5(2) (with reg. 13)

F5 Word in reg. 5(5) omitted (1.4.2007) by virtue of The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/718), regs. 1(1), 5(3) (with reg. 13)

F6 Words in reg. 5(5) omitted (1.4.2007) by virtue of The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/718), regs. 1(1), 5(3) (with reg. 13)

Marginal Citations

M1 1994 c. 39.

M2 S.I. 1995/3208, amended by S.I. 2002/849.