Mr Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Gregory Campbell on 2014-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in Northern Ireland per 10,000 of the population were prosecuted for non-payment of the television licence fee in each of the last three years.

Mr Shailesh Vara

My Department’s Court Proceedings database holds information on criminal justice statistics only in England and Wales. Criminal Justice Statistics in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland, which the Member will need to contact directly.

The offence of using a TV receiver without a valid licence carries a maximum penalty of a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale (£1,000). Failure to pay such a fine can lead, following enforcement action and as a last resort, to committal to prison for fine default for a maximum of 28 days.