TELEVISION licences will be free for over-75s on low income and those who have already paid this year will be reimbursed, it was confirmed this week.

Director of Employment and Social Security Tom Gales reassured those who attended a meeting of the Senior Citizens Association on Thursday after confusion as to the progress of the proposals and the time in which they would be implemented.

Mr Gales said that the system was moving forward and that he was hoping to have more news by March on when the changes would take place.

Association chairman Daphne Minihane said she was delighted that progress was finally being made, although she was not impressed with the lack of communication to senior citizens since the decision was first made in the States.

She said: ‘It was announced some time ago that there would be certain numbers of free TV licences, but then everything went dead and lots of people phoned up Social Security to find out what was happening.

They were told that it was nothing to do with them and that they should phone BBC Jersey, who then told them to phone Bristol, but no one knew what was happening so all the calls came back to me.

‘Unfortunately the Minister dealing with it was ill, so that is partly why there was such a delay, but I think it would have been kinder if they had made some sort of an announcement.

It has left everyone wondering where they are and not knowing whether they have to pay.’ Mrs Minihane said the kind of treatment afforded to them in the situation had not been exceptional.

She said: ‘It is the same with the milk subsidies.

Mr Gales said that a press release had been sent out in December explaining the situation, but I didn’t see it and no one else seems to know anything about it.

It’s just not good policy – it’s only fair that we are kept informed about what happens.

We have not been treated well at all.’ Proposals for the free TV licences will now be taken back to the States within the next few weeks, although the debate may not happen for a further six weeks.

It is only after the debate that those eligible to get their licence will receive one free of charge, or be reimbursed if they have already bought one this year.

Of milk subsidies, Mr Gales said: ‘We did not stop the milk subsidies.

We have tried to make sure that everyone got a cheque.

‘We passed the money onto Jersey Dairy and cheques all went out.

I know that another lot are due to be sent out next month though so if you haven’t got yours now you should get it then.

We did send a press release out in December so people should have been informed.’ Also high on the senior citizens’ agenda on Thursday were new income support proposals, which are due to come into effect by 2007.

Mr Gales said that the changes would not affect pensions, and Christmas bonuses and new TV licence proposals would remain the same.

Other matters which arose at the meeting were the BBC’s switch to digital television in four years’ time, the cost of living relative to the level of pensions, the consequences of GST and the possibility of a new supermarket.