Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 354 and 355 together.

Part 9 of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 makes provision for the administration of the TV licence fee system. In accordance with Section 145 of the Act, An Post act as the statutory issuing agent for the TV licence fee.

As the issuing agent, operational issues regarding collection and enforcement are primarily a matter for An Post, who make every effort to promote the purchasing of a TV licence and thereby ensure compliance. This includes the issuing of reminders and undertaking household visits to confirm possession of a TV licence or otherwise. However, as details on the number of inspections is an operational matter for An Post, my Department does not hold figures on the number of inspections undertaken by An Post.

I would take this opportunity to again highlight not only the statutory obligation to have a TV licence, but the importance of continuing to support a wide range of public service content across many broadcasters not just RTÉ, which TV licence revenues make possible.

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.

As statutory collection agent, operational issues regarding collection and enforcement are primarily a matter for An Post, who make every effort to promote the purchasing of a TV licence and thereby ensure compliance. This includes issuing of reminders and undertaking household visits to confirm possession of a TV licence or otherwise. While it is an offence not to possess a TV licence, prosecution through the courts is a last resort.

Ultimately prosecutions are a matter for the Courts Service, and as such details of prosecutions are not available in my Department. However, I can provide the total number of summons issued by An Post and the total number of cases brought to court for 2023 to 30^th November, which are as follows: 13,137 summons issued and 8,612 cases brought to court. Final figures for 2023 are not yet available.

It is to be noted that not all summonses sought in any given year are brought to court in the same calendar year and may not be heard until the following year.

Possession of a valid TV licence is not only a legal obligation, it also provides vital funding to enable the provision of high quality public service content to Irish audiences. It is important to note that in addition to providing funding to RTÉ, TV licences receipts also enable funding to a wider range of broadcasters including local commercial radio through the Sound and Vision scheme, as well as providing significant support for the independent production sector.