HC Deb 08 December 2003 vol 415 cc262-3W
Mr. Carmichael

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much has been spent in each of the last 10 years monitoring and investigating households believed to be avoiding television licence payment; [141736]

(2) what the operating cost was of the TV Licensing Authority in each of the last 10 years; and what estimates have been made of costs in future years. [141737]

Estelle Morris

[holding answer 4 December 2003]The BBC, as Licensing Authority, has indicated that the cost of monitoring and investigating households believed to be evading payment of the television licence fee is not recorded separately from other costs relating to the collection of the licence fee. Total licence fee collection costs for each of the years from 1993–94 to 2002–03 were:

£ million
Year Cost
1993–94 89.2
1994–95 91.0
1995–96 95.0
1996–97 96.9
1997–98 109.5
1998–99 133.1
1999–2000 113.9
2000–01 131.9
2001–02 95.4
2002–03 146.4

There are no formal estimates of future collection costs, but the BBC has indicated that it aims to reduce the cost of collection while continuing to reduce the level of evasion.

Mr. Carmichael

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have been successfully prosecuted in(a) Scotland and (b) the UK for failure to own television licences in each of the last 10 years. [141738]

Estelle Morris

The available information for England, Wales and Scotland relates to all offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts of 1949 and 1967, though the great majority of these involve licence fee evasion. Figures for Northern Ireland, provided by TV Licensing, are available only from 1998 onwards and relate specifically to unlicensed use of a television receiver. The number of convictions recorded in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years for which information is available was:

Number of convictions
Year Scotland United Kingdom
1992 13,851 184,136
1993 10,547 179,253
1994 6,822 169,681
1995 6,687 120,482
1996 5,642 170,498
1997 2,893 79,898
1998 1,362 78,804
1999 582 56,929
2000 1,967 108,680
2001 1,345 86,118

Mr. Edward Davey

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of a television licence was in each financial year since 1996–97.[142271]

Estelle Morris

The television licence fees for each year since 1996–97 were as folows.

Year Black and white

licence fee

Colour licence fee
1996–97 30.00 89.50
1997–98 30.50 91.50
1998–99 32.50 97.50
1999–2000 33.50 101.00
2000–01 34.50 104.00
2001–02 36.50 109.00
2002–03 37.50 112.00
2003–04 38.50 116.00