In a recent judgement, a magistrate penalised 31 individuals with fines of €150 each and an additional €100 for legal charges due to non-compliance with television licence payment. A significant number of individuals, who had taken out licences after receiving a visit from licence inspectors, saw their summonses annulled.
In An Post’s accounts presented in Dublin District Court on Friday, Judge Anthony Halpin handled over 100 cases alleging failure to comply with the €160 licence fee payment. In Ireland, it is a criminal act to possess a television set without a valid licence and, upon conviction, individuals can face up to a hefty €1,000 fine and a criminal record.
Notably, last year’s uproar surrounding RTÉ payments was disregarded by those present in court. In general, sales of TV licences diminished by 13% in the past year, symbolising a financial deficit of €20 million. This resulted in more than 13,000 individuals receiving a summons for court due to their failure to pay.
Jennifer Morgan BL, representative for An Post, presided over all cases. These originated largely from house visits conducted by TV licence inspectors during September and October in areas such as Dublin 4, 6, 15, 18, and Malahide. A significant number of strike-out orders were secured, primarily because the individuals in question had procured licences following the visits from inspectors or were entitled to free licences. Interestingly, none of these individuals were mandated to attend court on Friday.
For the 31 cases where the accused neither attended the hearings nor responded to the court, the judge relied on the evidence provided by TV licence inspectors before passing judgement. The magistrate also advised one defendant, who claimed his only income was a €266 weekly old-age pension, to consult with a Citizens Information Centre over his eligibility for a free licence. Meanwhile, others who requested additional time to purchase a licence were accorded until September to do so.
All 31 individuals involved were billed €150 each, with a payment deadline set for three months. Furthermore, they were also burdened with €100 each in charges. They possess an allotment of 14 days to lodge an appeal to the Circuit Court. Should there be neither an appeal nor acquisition of a license, An Post holds the authority to embark upon enforcement procedures. Before the roster was concluded by the lunch hour on Friday, a miniscule assortment of other cases were suspended.