Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Bill

The Minister sent out a helpful note setting out estimates of between 4.2 million and 5.2 million sets of equipment that will be needed over five or six years. That shows the amount of information that needs to be processed. The Bill is important. It is narrow in scope. Hon. Members have had to use their ingenuity on occasions to pull information out of the Minister. He has on the whole been good hearted. I welcome the assurances that he has given at this stage of the scheme, which will develop. It is important not to have a closed mind now because things will progress. The pace of change is such that we have seen a remarkable degree of change in technology in particular. It is important to encompass that in changes to the scheme. One further thought relates to people who are not on benefit but who are appealing to be on it. Given what the Minister said about the eight-month run-in and the month after switch off, some people might get help but they have not got through the benefits system. We all have letters on our desk about people who take months to sort something out. Most appeals fail, but some succeed, and there will be a bit of overspill. The Minister should reflect on that.