HC Deb 02 March 1978 vol 945 cc645-7
7. Mr. John Hunt

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the working party consisting of representatives of his Department, the BBC and the Post Office to complete its study of the problem of television licence evasion.

Mr. John

The joint working party on the administration of the broadcast receiving licence system keeps the question of television licence evasion under continuous review. As a result of the latest estimate of evasion, it is currently con- sidering the most effective way of initiating an intensive campaign against evasion later this year.

Mr. Hunt

I welcome that reply as far as it goes, but is the hon. Gentleman aware that licence evasion still costs the BBC £15 million a year in lost revenue and that this means not only that honest, law-abiding viewers subsidise the scroungers and dodgers but that viewers are being deprived of better-quality programmes which could otherwise be provided with that sort of money? As the penalty for evasion is only £50 and the licence fee is £21, is there not a case for substantially increasing the penalty to, say, £200 in the light of present circumstances?

Mr. John

I accept the hon. Gentleman's rough estimate of the loss to the BBC through licence evasion. I do not defend the evasion of licence fees. It deprives a great number of people of programmes of extra quality and puts a burden upon the rest of us. We believe that the penalties are adequate. If they are thought to be inadequate, it is a great pity that last year's Act was not amended to increase the penalties.

Mr. Thompson

Will the working party be dealing with the impudent television licence inquiry letters which ask people who have no television set and, therefore, no need of a licence and who are committing no offence to inform the National Television Licence Records Office that they have no set? Or could it be that the Government are considering sending to each citizen every year a list of offences asking us to tick off those that we have not committed?

Mr. John

One has only to compare the hon. Gentleman's question with the original supplementary question to see the difficulties involved in enforcing the payment of television licence fees. I agree that there must be a balance between reasonable methods of enforcement and intrusion, and attempts are made to maintain this balance. I hope that the joint working party will take into account what the hon. Gentleman has said.

Mr. George Rodgers

Does not my hon. Friend agree that probably the best way to get rid of licence evasion is to do away with the system and to secure revenue for the BBC through taxation? Would not this have the additional advantage of giving the greatest concession to those at the lower end of the income scale?

Mr. John

It would always cut the number of offenders under a law if one abolished the law. There may be arguments whether the licence system is the most apposite way of funding broadcasting, but, given that the system exists, I do not believe that there is any excuse for evading one's responsibilities under it.