§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what new proposals he has to ensure a more efficient collection of broadcasting licences, in view of the estimate of the British Broadcasting Corporation Annual Report that £1 million annually is still lost through licence evasion.
§ Mr. ChatawayI assume that the hon. Member is referring to the comment in the B.B.C.'s Report and Accounts for 1969–70 (Cmnd. 4520), that
it was estimated that 1 million television households were still without a combined licence at the end of the financial year, and that this represented a loss of income attributable to evasion of the combined licence fee of some £6 million.Since 1st October, 1969, broadcast receiving licence work has been performed by the Post Office as my agent. During the year ending 30th September, 1970, the number of licences in force increased by 600,000. Overall the Post Office runs an efficient system for collecting the revenue, and the current campaign against licence evasion which is being run by my Ministry in conjunction with the Post Office who are doing the field work and the BBC has—according to our preliminary estimates—yielded well over £½ million extra revenue so far.
I am now studying, in consultation with the trade associations representing television rental companies and retailers, the possibility of using my powers to require television dealers to give particulars of television sets supplied before 29th January, 1968. (At present they are required to do so for sets supplied subsequently.) Also a pilot scheme for a computer-controlled method of issuing licences is likely to be introduced. Other ideas for improving the system are being reviewed.
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§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, in view of the statement by the Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation that the Corporation may be £50 million in debt by 1974, if he will now consider raising the licence fee.
§ Mr. ChatawayI refer the hon. Member to my reply earlier today to the hon. Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton).