HC Deb 15 March 2004 vol 419 c55W
Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what(a) amount and (b) proportion of BBC licensing revenue was lost as a result of evasion in the last year for which figures are available. [160683]

Estelle Morris

As at March 2003, the estimated television licence evasion rate was 7.2 per cent., representing approximately £205 million in lost television licence fee revenue.

Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what proportion of television licence-holders the cost of their licence exceeded 2 per cent. of annual income in the last year for which figures are available. [160686]

Estelle Morris

The information requested is not available since TV Licensing, who administer the television licensing system for the BBC, do not maintain statistics on the income of licence fee payers.

Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many persons were(a) fined and (b) imprisoned for not having a television licence in 2003. [160687]

Estelle Morris

Home Office figures show that 94,590 defendants were fined for offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 to 1967 (mainly television licence evasion) in England-and Wales in 2002. Figures for 2003 will be published in late Autumn.

Custodial sentences are not available for television licence evasion, the maximum penalty being a fine. However, custodial sentences can be imposed for non-payment of such a fine. In 2003, 17 males and three females received custodial sentences for defaulting on the payment of a fine for TV Licence evasion.

Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many prosecutions there were for offences connected with television licensing in 2003. [160684]

Estelle Morris

TV Licensing, who administer the television licensing system for the BBC, gather these figures on a financial year basis. 149,000 people were prosecuted during 2002–03.