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1692537

registered interest
date	28/02/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were sentenced to prison for non-payment of a TV licence in the last five years.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	16081
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>A person cannot receive a custodial sentence for TV licence evasion, but may be committed to prison for wilfully refusing to pay the fine or culpably neglecting to pay. Imprisonment is only pursued as a matter of last resort.</p><p><br>The number of people admitted to prison for failing to pay fines in respect of the non-payment of a TV licence in England and Wales in 2019 and 2022 was two or fewer (the actual number has not been released in order to protect against personal identification). In 2020 and 2021, there were no admissions into prison associated with failing to pay a fine in respect of the non-payment of a TV licence in England and Wales. The data for 2023 is not yet available.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Gareth Bacon question first answered 07/03/2024 12:57:00 answering member 4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1690719

registered interest
date	21/02/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been prosecuted for non-payment of TV licence fees in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15067
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/02/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice holds information on prosecutions for non-payment of TV licence fees, covering the period requested. The latest data available, until year ending June 2023, can be obtained in the following published tool: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65bd0675704282000d752143/outcomes-by-offence-june-2023.xlsx" target="_blank">Outcomes by Offence tool: June 2023</a>.</p><p>In the data tool, navigate to the ‘Prosecutions and convictions’ tab. In the ‘Offence’ filter, select ‘191A Television licence evasion’.</p><p>The pivot table will now present the number of prosecutions at all courts from year ending June 2011, including the requested last five years, from year ending June 2019 to year ending June 2023.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Gareth Bacon question first answered 29/02/2024 16:45:09 answering member 4798 label Biography information for Gareth Bacon
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1687465

registered interest
date	05/02/2024
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	217
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people were prosecuted for TV licence evasion in England in 2023.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	12914
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>The requirement to hold, and pay for, a TV Licence is set out in the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004. Under the Communications Act 2003, the BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the TV licensing system.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice currently publishes the number of prosecutions, convictions and sentencing outcomes for the non-payment of TV licence fees annually as part of their criminal justice statistics quarterly publications, which can be viewed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly</a>.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/02/2024 16:18:16 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1663922

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds data on the number of cases of Television Licence evasion that were considered by magistrates' courts in each year between 2015 and 2022.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	201775
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice holds data on the number of prosecutions for television licence evasion in magistrates’ courts, covering the period requested up to December 2022, and this can be viewed in the following data tool:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1182044/magistrates-court-2022_v2.xlsx" target="_blank">Magistrates' court data tool: 2022</a>.</p><ul><li>Select ‘191A Television licence evasion’ in the Offence filter.</li></ul> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 23/10/2023 15:21:00 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1607054

registered interest
date	24/03/2023
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	217
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to change the penalties imposed on people who have not paid for their TV licence because they cannot afford to.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	173046
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2023 answer text <p>The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the Government. The Government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner.</p><p>The requirement to hold a TV Licence is set out in the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) 2004. The current cost of a TV licence is £159 with the maximum penalty for TV licence evasion being a fine of £1,000. The sentencing court will determine the level of the fine. MOJ statistics indicate that the average fine is around £175.</p><p>In February 2020, the Government launched a public consultation on decriminalising TV licence evasion. The responses highlighted the considerable stress and anxiety the criminal sanction can cause for individuals, including the most vulnerable in society.</p><p>The Government remains concerned that a criminal sanction for TV licence evasion is increasingly disproportionate and unfair in a modern public service broadcasting system. We will be looking at ways to ensure the BBC’s funding model is sustainable in the long-term, which will include asking whether a mandatory licence fee with criminal penalties for individual households is still appropriate.</p><p>The Government has also taken steps to support licence fee payers. This includes freezing the licence fee for two years, which aims to support households at a time when they need that support the most. The Government also introduced the Simple Payment Plan in April 2020, a flexible payment instalment scheme that allows customers to pay in fortnightly or monthly instalments throughout the year, and is available to certain customers who currently struggle to pay the TV licence fee. More information on the Simple Payment Plan and its eligibility criteria can be found <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ305" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 03/04/2023 16:37:51 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1584681

registered interest
date	06/02/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the estimated cost to the public purse of pursuing criminal charges against people for non payment of the TV license in the last year for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
tabling member printed	Scott Benton
uin	140407
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2023 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 14/02/2023 17:48:56 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4793 label Biography information for Scott Benton

1547351

registered interest
date	01/12/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many pensioners have been prosecuted for non-payment of the TV Licence fee in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Lee Anderson
uin	101060
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>The requirement to hold, and pay for, a TV Licence is set out in the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice currently publishes the number of prosecutions, convictions and sentencing outcomes for the non-payment of TV licence fees annually as part of their criminal justice statistics quarterly publications, which can be viewed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly</a></p><p>Figures for each year since 2005 up to 2022 are available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool, and can be found in the following dataset:</p><ul><li><p>2018-2022: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118314/outcomes-by-offence-june-2022.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118314/outcomes-by-offence-june-2022.xlsx</a></p></li></ul><p>To view the relevant figures in these tables, select ‘191A Television licence evasion’ in the Offence filter. These figures can be refined further by age to identify an age range of 70+, it is impossible to provide the data for 'pensioners' as that is a diverse group that cannot be filtered purely by age.</p><p>The data for individuals aged 70+ are the following:</p><ul><li><p>​2022 - 260 proceeded against &amp; 217 sentenced</p></li><li><p>2021 - 238 proceeded against &amp; 207 sentenced</p></li><li><p><del class="ministerial">2022</del> <ins class="ministerial">2020 </ins>- 329 proceeded against &amp; 288 sentenced</p></li></ul><p>Alternative data does also show no Over 75s have been prosecuted and that none of the prosecutions have resulted in custodial sentences.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/12/2022 16:17:04 question first ministerially corrected 15/12/2022 09:17:36 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez previous answer version 40369 answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4743 label Biography information for Lee Anderson

1536827

registered interest
date	27/10/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department collected in TV licensing fines in the last year; and what proportion of that money was from over 75s.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	73099
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2022 answer text <p>The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the government. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations. HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service is responsible for collecting and enforcing financial penalties imposed by the courts which includes fines imposed for the non-payment of a TV licence.</p><p>In 2021, 49,126 people were proceeded against by HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service for non-payment of the licence fee, and 44,364 were fined. The BBC has recently confirmed that no enforcement or prosecution action has been taken against over-75s who previously held a free licence and therefore no over-75s have been fined. The Department does not hold data on the amount collected from TV licensing fines and will engage with relevant departments to follow up with this information.</p><p>The Government is independent from the BBC, and any decision to suspend enforcement action by TV Licensing, or assessment of the impact of this decision, would be a matter for the BBC. Given the BBC’s independence it would not be appropriate for the government to seek to intervene in operational decisions on enforcement action. Nonetheless, the government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner, and to treat all vulnerable people with sensitivity in doing so.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 72945 73100 question first answered 03/11/2022 11:40:33 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1536828

registered interest
date	27/10/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the potential lost revenue in TV licensing fines if non-payment prosecutions were paused during the cost-of-living crisis.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	73100
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2022 answer text <p>The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the government. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations. HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service is responsible for collecting and enforcing financial penalties imposed by the courts which includes fines imposed for the non-payment of a TV licence.</p><p>In 2021, 49,126 people were proceeded against by HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service for non-payment of the licence fee, and 44,364 were fined. The BBC has recently confirmed that no enforcement or prosecution action has been taken against over-75s who previously held a free licence and therefore no over-75s have been fined. The Department does not hold data on the amount collected from TV licensing fines and will engage with relevant departments to follow up with this information.</p><p>The Government is independent from the BBC, and any decision to suspend enforcement action by TV Licensing, or assessment of the impact of this decision, would be a matter for the BBC. Given the BBC’s independence it would not be appropriate for the government to seek to intervene in operational decisions on enforcement action. Nonetheless, the government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner, and to treat all vulnerable people with sensitivity in doing so.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 72945 73099 question first answered 03/11/2022 11:40:33 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1536931

registered interest
date	27/10/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Non-payment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of preventing TV Licensing from prosecuting people who are unable to pay their TV licences during the period of increased cost of living.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	72945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2022 answer text <p>The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the government. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations. HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service is responsible for collecting and enforcing financial penalties imposed by the courts which includes fines imposed for the non-payment of a TV licence.</p><p>In 2021, 49,126 people were proceeded against by HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service for non-payment of the licence fee, and 44,364 were fined. The BBC has recently confirmed that no enforcement or prosecution action has been taken against over-75s who previously held a free licence and therefore no over-75s have been fined. The Department does not hold data on the amount collected from TV licensing fines and will engage with relevant departments to follow up with this information.</p><p>The Government is independent from the BBC, and any decision to suspend enforcement action by TV Licensing, or assessment of the impact of this decision, would be a matter for the BBC. Given the BBC’s independence it would not be appropriate for the government to seek to intervene in operational decisions on enforcement action. Nonetheless, the government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner, and to treat all vulnerable people with sensitivity in doing so.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 73099 73100 question first answered 03/11/2022 11:40:33 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy