§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on monitoring, identifying and prosecuting pirate radio operators in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. ButcherThe Radio Investigation Service became part of the Department only in August 1984. As a consequence, it is possible to provide detailed information only for the last three financial years. The following table lists the RIS's overall costs, and the estimated amount spent on enforcement activity against unlicensed broadcasters where figures are available.
Year Overall costs £ million Costs of Broadcasting Enforcement £ million est 1983–84 9.3 n/a 1984–85 8.6 n/a 1985–86 6.8 0–6 1986–87 6.6 0.6 1987–88 6.5 0.8
§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many pirate radio operators have been prosecuted in each of the last five years.
22W
§ Mr. ButcherThe answer is as follows:
Prosecutions Convictions 1983 40 40 1984 48 47 1985 136 135 1986 79 74 1987 77 75