It was finally decided this week that taxpayers will continue to fund RTÉ through a mixture of the €160 television licence fee and direct annual exchequer grants.
An Post, which collects the licence fee for RTÉ, is to be given €6 million over three years to improve collection of licence fee income and crack down on evasion.
Am I going to have television licence inspectors banging my door down now, and will penalties increase?
The short answer is we aren’t really sure yet how all this will happen.
Minister for Media Catherine Martin, who was in favour of abolishing the licence, has reconvened the “technical working group” set up by Government in 2022 to examine reform and enhancement of the TV licence.
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Her department says the group’s remit will be to “further consider and assess the improvements and enhancements to, among other things, inspection and compliance, which are required”. It will then report back to the Minister with recommendations.
The department says it is “not possible to pre-empt” what recommendations the group will bring forward. An Post says the same.
Is the RTE funding plan a reward for its mistakes?
After more than a year of crisis at RTE and handwringing about how to fund it into the future, the government has decided the license fee should stay and the model of funding continue as it always has. While the status quo remains for the consumer, media minister Catherine Martin revealed the state will pump €725 million euro into the broadcaster over the next three years. But will this golden envelope be enough to put RTE on a sustainable path and is the failure to address the impact of the digital age a missed opportunity? The Irish Times' Laura Slattery explains this week's long-awaited funding announcement.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.
How many inspectors does An Post have?
The department told us that details of inspections, including the number of inspectors, are an operational matter for An Post and the department does not hold these figures. An Post failed to provide these figures when we asked them. In 2019, The Irish Times reported that more than 90 staff looked after licence fee collection, although inspectors made up only part of this number.
Who is actually supposed to have a television licence?
A television licence is required for any address at which there is a television set. A licence is required per address, rather than per person or per set.
Do people pay the licence fee?
Television license sales dropped by 13 per cent last year, from 947,924 in 2022 to 824,278 in 2023. In the first half of this year, sales also declined by 14 per cent year on year, but since the beginning of July sales have increased 18 per cent.
What happens to people who fail to pay the licence?
At present, if a household has not paid the TV licence, a court summons is issued – but catching up with people who choose to go to ground has proven difficult for the authorities. There is a high burden of proof for a lapsed licence, which requires an inspector to prove that a person is still the occupier of a premises before a summons can be issued. Alleged evaders must be physically delivered a summons as well.
How many people end up in court?
The department said that 13,276 summons were issued for failure to hold a valid TV licence last year, while 9,830 cases were brought to court. This suggests that given more than 120,000 licence-holders failed to renew their licences last year, only about 8 per cent of those ended up in court that year.
How do those people who do end up in court generally fare?
The offence on conviction carries a maximum fine of €1,000 and a record of conviction for a crime, though cases are treated rather leniently by judges. One day in May, a judge convicted and fined 31 people €150 each, plus €100 in legal costs, over nonpayment of the licence.
Summonses against more than twice that number were struck out by the same judge that day, mostly because licences were taken out after those involved were visited by TV licence inspectors. An Post says “every possible opportunity” is offered to those who do not have a licence to get one. “Court is and always has been a last resort,” it said.
[ The Irish Times view on the new media funding plan: a political fudgeOpens in new window ]
Will the new measures make it easier to catch up with TV licence evaders?
An Post has proposed that rather than issuing a court summons, a fixed-charge notice would be issued if the fee isn’t paid within a certain time period. This is something that will be examined by the working group.
Do I need a licence fee if I’m watching on the RTÉ Player on a computer?
At present, using a computer or a laptop would not be considered a “television set” under the legislative provisions, but the department says this may be examined by the working group.
Where does the licence fee go and why is any of this really important?
The department pays An Post commission from the TV licence receipts for its collection work. In addition, 7 per cent of the total revenue net of An Post’s commission is paid to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland for the operation of the Broadcasting Funding Scheme, which provides funding in support of programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience.
All remaining revenues are paid to RTÉ. The broadcaster’s director general, Kevin Bakhurst, this week said it would be “extremely difficult” to collect the licence fee if there was no jeopardy around not paying.
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