Help Scheme Faces Spending Reforecast

摘要

The UK's digital-switchover help scheme is likely to reforecast how much it will cost to help vulnerable groups through digital switchover after lower-than-expected take-up in the first region where the scheme has been deployed. In the Selkirk area of the Borders region, where analogue signals are to be switched off on November 6, only 14 per cent of eligible homes have taken up the offer of help - up from 10 per cent a month ago. Around 19,000 qualifying homes in the area covered by the Selkirk transmitter were recently sent information packs explaining that assistance was available. Of these, about 39 per cent responded and about 2,570 homes accepted help. "The response rate has been reasonable," said David Scott, chief executive of Digital UK, the body charged with overseeing switchover. "I am slightly surprised at the low level of people actually wanting help but that may be an indication of the speed at which the market has converted people."