Joe O'Toole (Independent)

Can people go into the prison and check the position in that regard? People with no money are ending up in prison because they cannot afford to pay for the licence. I wonder if the inmates in prison with plasma screens have licences. That is a fair question and I would like to know the answer to it because the situation is ridiculous.

Other countries have more sensible ways of collecting TV licence fees. There is an audiovisual tax in parts of France and other initiatives in other countries. Spending millions of euro every year in advertising and thousands of euro to keep people in prison for not paying their TV licences and then employing huge numbers of people to check and collect makes no sense. Payment should be made directly either through an additional tax which people can opt out of or a million other ways. It is unethical, immoral, uncivilised and unacceptable that people can end up in prison for not having a TV licence.

I am not sure if we are still required to have a radio licence or if that went some time in the past like the need for a dog licence.