Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of individuals who have been prosecuted for failure to pay their TV licence fee; the average length of sentence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34589/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Part 9 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 makes provision for the administration of the TV licence fee system. Total licence fee receipts are comprised of a contribution from the Department of Social Protection in respect of free licences issued under the Household Benefits Scheme, and receipts from direct sales by An Post, who are the statutory issuing agent for licence fee collection. An Post makes every effort to reduce evasion, and prosecution through the courts is a last resort.

In 2022, An Post applied to the courts for 14,915 summonses for failure to pay for a TV Licence and the number of cases heard in court in 2022 was 9,610. Details of prosecutions and sentencing are a matter for the Courts Service.