Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The amount paid in fees has been getting lower every month since the scandals and crisis hit RTÉ, compared to the previous 12 months. This raises the question as to whether it has been accepted that people will not pay the TV licence fee. Is this the case? If so, why not scrap the fee? In the eight months from the beginning of the RTÉ scandal to April, almost €150,000 has been paid out in fines. Many people cannot afford a TV licence and they certainly cannot afford these fines. In the 20 months between the Future of Media Commission report recommending the scrapping of the TV licence and April, more than €500,000 was paid in fines by ordinary people. In the same period, almost 5,000 people received a conviction for non-payment of the licence fee. These figures are potentially even higher now. Every week that the Minister and the Government delay in making a decision, people are sent to court, receive fines and tie up the courts, judges and everyone else. A decision needs to be taken. This decision should be to scrap the TV licence and fund it through Exchequer funding.

See this speech in context