§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many prosecutions for the use of TV equipment without a licence there were in(a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000; and what the monthly trend is. [144939]
§ Janet AndersonThe number of prosecutions for the use of television receiving equipment without a licence was 104,000 in 1998, 78,000 in 1999 and 144,000 in the year 2000. The BBC, which has responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the television licensing system, has indicated that there is no underlying monthly226W trend and that prosecution rates tend to be fairly even across the year, except following specific enforcement initiatives.