---

8 Jan 2007 : Column 250W—continued

Digital Broadcasting

Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of the number of households that will qualify for assistance in switching over to digital television in (a) Gateshead East and Washington West, (b) the North East and (c) England. [108237]

Mr. Woodward: The details are in the table.

8 Jan 2007 : Column 251W

Constituency	Households (defined as eligible benefit units)
Berwick-upon-Tweed	9,000
Bishop Auckland	14,000
Blaydon	10,000
Blyth Valley	11,000
City of Durham	10,000
Darlington	11,000
Easington	14,000
Gateshead East and Washington West	12,000
Hartlepool	12,000
Hexham	9,000
Houghton and Washington East	12,000
Jarrow	12,000
Middlesbrough	13,000
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland	13,000
Newcastle upon Tyne Central	10,000
Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend	11,000
Newcastle upon Tyne North	12,000
North Durham	12,000
North Tyneside	13,000
North-West Durham	14,000
Redcar	14,000
Sedgefield	12,000
South Shields	12,000
Stockton North	11,000
Stockton South	10,000
Sunderland North	13,000
Sunderland South	13,000
Tyne Bridge	11,000
Tynemouth	11,000
Wansbeck	13,000
North East Government Office Region	354,000
England	5,800,000
1. Totals for Constituencies rounded to the nearest thousand. Totals for England, rounded to the nearest hundred-thousand. 2. Eligibility for help from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme will be by benefit unit rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth. 3. The definition of a benefit unit is a couple and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, will be able to claim assistance from the Help Scheme in their own right.

Digital Television

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of households which will qualify for assistance in switching over to digital television in (a) Ludlow constituency, (b) Shropshire and (c) the West Midlands. [110400]

Mr. Woodward: The details are in the table.

8 Jan 2007 : Column 252W

8 Jan 2007 : Column 253W

Constituency	Households (defined as eligible benefit units)
Aldridge-Brownhills	11,000
Birmingham, Edgbaston	10,000
Birmingham, Erdington	13,000
Birmingham, Hall Green	10,000
Birmingham, Hodge Hill	10,000
Birmingham, Ladywood	10,000
Birmingham, Northfield	10,000
Birmingham, Perry Barr	11,000
Birmingham, Selly Oak	11,000
Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath	12,000
Birmingham, Yardley	9,000
Bromsgrove	10,000
Burton	11,000
Cannock Chase	12,000
Coventry, North East	12,000
Coventry, North West	13,000
Coventry, South	12,000
Dudley, North	12,000
Dudley, South	10,000
Halesowen and Rowley Regis	11,000
Hereford	12,000
Leominster	12,000
Lichfield	9,000
Ludlow	10,000
Meriden	11,000
Mid Worcestershire	11,000
Newcastle-under-Lyme	11,000
North Shropshire	12,000
North Warwickshire	11,000
Nuneaton	11,000
Redditch	8,000
Rugby and Kenilworth	11,000
Shrewsbury and Atcham	11,000
Solihull	13,000
South Staffordshire	10,000
Stafford	10,000
Staffordshire Moorlands	11,000
Stoke-on-Trent, Central	11,000
Stoke-on-Trent, North	11,000
Stoke-on-Trent, South	14,000
Stone	10,000
Stourbridge	10,000
Stratford-on-Avon	12,000
Sutton Coldfield	10,000
Tamworth	10,000
Telford	10,000
The Wrekin	11,000
Walsall North	12,000
Walsall South	10,000
Warley	10,000
Warwick and Leamington	12,000
West Bromwich, East	11,000
West Bromwich, West	12,000
West Worcestershire	12,000
Wolverhampton, North East	10,000
Wolverhampton, South East	10,000
Wolverhampton, South West	11,000
Worcester	10,000
Wyre Forest	12,000
West Midlands Government Office Area (including Shropshire)	645,000
Shropshire	59,000
Leominster	12,000
Lichfield	9,000
Ludlow	10,000
Meriden	11,000
Mid Worcestershire	11,000
Newcastle-under-Lyme	11,000
North Shropshire	12,000
North Warwickshire	11,000
Nuneaton	11,000
Redditch	8,000
Rugby and Kenilworth	11,000
Shrewsbury and Atcham	11,000
Solihull	13,000
South Staffordshire	10,000
Stafford	10,000
Staffordshire Moorlands	11,000
Stoke-on-Trent, Central	11,000
Stoke-on-Trent, North	11,000
Stoke-on-Trent, South	14,000
Stone	10,000
Stourbridge	10,000
Stratford-on-Avon	12,000
Sutton Coldfield	10,000
Tamworth	10,000
Telford	10,000
The Wrekin	11,000
Walsall, North	12,000
Walsall, South	10,000
Warley	10,000
Warwick and Leamington	12,000
West Bromwich, East	11,000
West Bromwich, West	12,000
West Worcestershire	12,000
Wolverhampton, North East	10,000
Wolverhampton, South East	10,000
Wolverhampton, South West	11,000
Worcester	10,000
Wyre Forest	12,000
West Midlands Government Office Area (including Shropshire)	645,000
Shropshire	59,000
Notes: 1. Totals rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. Eligibility for help from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme will be by benefit unit rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLC) the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth. 3. The definition of a benefit unit is a couple and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, will be able to claim assistance from the Help Scheme in their own right.

---