MPs have rapped the Government in an escalation of the row over free TV licences for over-75s.
A petition calling on ministers to thrash out a deal with the BBC and restore the lifeline said: “Government should be politically accountable for benefits, not a media company. Take back control.”
The petition hit a 10,000-signature threshold to trigger a response.
But the parliamentary committee overseeing the process has taken the rare step of rebuking the Government's reply – and urging it to try again.
A note on the petition says: “The Petitions Committee have considered the Government’s response to this petition.
“They felt that the response did not directly address the request of petition and have therefore written back to the Government to ask them to provide a revised response.”
A committee spokeswoman said: “Where government responses do not directly address what has been asked for in a petition, the committee will ask for a revised response to ensure the issues raised by petitioners are properly addressed.
“The revised response will be published on the petition’s page once it has been received.”
Campaigners bidding to restore over-75s' free licences welcomed the move.
Silver Voices director Dennis Reed said: “In the light of the rejected response, the Government can no longer equivocate over the lines of responsibility for this welfare benefit.
“It must say why it cannot or will not take back responsibility for the free licence scheme.
“The over-75s are collateral damage in the war of words between the BBC and Government, and this unsavoury spat must be ended.”
The Tories pledged at the 2017 election to maintain over-75s' free licences for the rest of that Parliament, which was due to run for five years.
But the BBC had already been handed responsibility for funding the concession from June 2020, under a deal agreed in 2015.
It said keeping licences free for all over-75s would cost £745million by 2021-22, so introduced means-testing.
Only over-75s who receive Pension Credit are now eligible – meaning an estimated 3.7 million have to pay £157.50 a year.
The cost rises to £159 next month(APR).
Labour stepped up pressure on ministers to take responsibility for funding the benefit.
Shadow Media Minister Chris Matheson said: "The Government is doing everything to blame the BBC for making the over-75s pay the TV licence when in fact it was the Tories’ decision.
"The message is clear – stop hiding behind the BBC and take responsibility.
“Everyone knows whose fault this is so stop taking everyone for fools."
Labour peer Lord George Foulkes, who chairs Parliament's cross-party group on ageing and older people, said he and colleagues in the Lords wanted a meeting with ministers so they could “urge a rethink”.
He added: “I hope pressure from both Houses will make the Government rethink and honour the pledge they made in their manifesto.”
Bectu broadcasting union head Philippa Childs said: “The responsibility for providing free TV licences for the over-75s should be the Government’s, not the BBC’s.
“The Government decision to transfer responsibility but not the means to the BBC was an unfair burden to place on a public broadcasting network that should not have to deal with the policy or administration of welfare benefits.”
The Government has previously criticised the BBC for means-testing over-75s' free licences.
But the corporation has said: “The decision to remove free TV licences for the over-75s was taken by the Government, not the BBC.”
The Mirror has campaigned to save free TV licences, with more than 18,000 readers backing the fight by completing coupons in the paper.
