Prosecutions in the Dublin District Court against people who had no television licence.
The prosecutions against 330 people were brought by An Post who are responsible for collecting the licence fee. Defaulters who failed to show up received the maximum fine of €634 plus costs. More than half of the cases were struck out because of An Post failed to successfully serve notice of the proceedings.
Summonses must be issued by registered mail and accepted by the person named on the summons.
The fines collected go to the courts.
In 2002, over 1.6 million television licences were issued by An Post. It is estimated that about 11 per cent of households did not buy a licence. One hundred inspectors are going door to door around the country checking that households have a television licence.
There are a further two thousand cases expected in the District Courts before the end of the year for failure to have a television licence.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 26 September 2003. The reporter is Mary Wilson.
