§ 6. Sir G. Nabarroasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will now state the sum in default by broadcast licence evasion during the financial year to 31st March 1973; what sum he expects to recover by all revised methods now in force; and what further steps he has in mind.
§ Sir J. EdenAbout £5 million in 1972–73, compared with over £7 million the previous year. I hope that the present methods of combating evasion, coupled with increasing computer assistance with licence records, will achieve a substantial further reduction this year.
§ Sir G. NabarroI warmly congratulate my right hon. Friend on his undoubted progress in this field, but I warn him that it is still not good enough. Does my right hon. Friend know that there are about 300,000 people in this country who are still viewing their television programmes and receiving their broadcasts 1114 free, gratis and for nothing at the expense of law-abiding citizens such as myself, who pay £14 a year for the privilege of looking in at a television set? Why cannot my right hon. Friend redouble his efforts to minimise the number of defalcations in this field?
§ Sir J. EdenI am grateful to my hon. Friend for the publicity which his Question will no doubt have given to the desirability of everybody meeting their obligations to pay a licence fee when they are in possession of a receiving set. I need no encouragement from my hon. Friend to redouble my efforts, but I am grateful to be reassured that I shall have his support in this matter.
§ Mr. EwingHas the right hon. Gentleman any evidence to suggest that this is a straight licence evasion? May it not be a protest against those politicians who appear regularly on television?
§ Sir J. EdenI have not recently seen the hon. Gentleman in a television programme, and I do not know when he last took part in one, but I am sure he will realise that as these figures become smaller so we get down to the hard core who are prepared to resist this even though they know that it is wrong to do so.