HOLIDAY HOME, mobile home and caravan owners across the country will face greater scrutiny by television licence inspectors following a decision by An Post to go after holidaymakers who might have unlicensed televisions.
An Post, which is contracted to sell the licences on behalf of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, initiated 15,000 prosecutions last year in cases where people failed to pay their TV licence.
An Post has warned that there is no excuse for not having a licence, which costs €160 a year.
“If a person has a TV at home and another in their holiday/mobile home, by law a licence is required for each address if a television is being watched there. This was not the case for many years but has been for some time,” the company said.
An Post pointed out that a wide variety of purchase and renewal methods have been developed for householders. These include a new online service, www.tvlicence.ie, launched last month by Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan.
The site can be viewed in any one of 13 languages, including Chinese, Polish, Lithuanian, Portuguese and Spanish.
A total of 1,059,682 licences were purchased by householders and businesses in 2007.
“Householders are given several automatic and subsequent reminders and will receive a visit from the TV licence inspector before prosecution ensues. Once that happens, it’s a matter for the courts,” An Post warned.