§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what authority the National Television Licence Records Office directs letters regarding television licences to households where there is no television set; and what obligation exists for the householders to respond to any such inquiry.
§ Mr. JohnThe National Television Licence Records Office collects television licence fees and carries out licence record94W and enquiry work on our behalf. It maintains a list of households showing whether or not there is a television licence in force and inquiry letters are sent from time to time to apparently unlicensed addresses to help combat licence fee evasion. Whilst recipients of these inquiry letters are not obliged to respond, their doing so is helpful to the National Television Licence Records Office and makes further inquiries unnecessary. This routine check helps to keep the cost of the licensing system and licence fees down, and maintains the fairness of the 95W system for the great majority who pay their licence fees, by identifying unlicensed users.