Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 18 Dec 1991

Vol. 414 No. 9

Written Answers. - Non-Payment of TV Licences.

Seán Barrett

Ceist:

84 Mr. S. Barrett asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons committed to Mountjoy prison in the last three months for non-payment of TV licences; and if he will outline the cost of keeping these persons in prison for this period.

Minister for Justice (Mr. Burke)

A total of 15 persons — 11 males and four females — were committed to Mountjoy Prison in the period 17 September 1991-16 December 1991 for non-payment of fines imposed on conviction of offences arising from the non-payment of their TV licences.

The estimated annual cost of the operation of the prison system per head of the prisoner population in 1990 was approximately £31,000, which includes all infrastructural and staffing costs. However, the basic additional cost for any individual new prisoner coming into the system can be taken as merely the cost of maintaining him/her and this works out at approximately £10 per day for food, bedding, medical supplies, laundry etc.

There appears to be an implication in the question that the appropriateness of the imposition of a term of imprisonment by the courts in the event of non-payment of a fine is in some way to be assessed purely on economic grounds, that is, by comparison of the cost of imprisonment with the "cost" of the offence in question. If any such implication is intended, I would not accept it. There are, of course, much wider issues involved, not least the question of what effective sanction is to be applied to persons who refuse to comply with non-custodial sentences, such as fines, imposed by the courts. In this regard the provisions of the Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1964, must be borne in mind, which relate to the court being satisfied, before a warrant committing a person to prison in respect of non-payment of a fine is issued, that he is possessed of sufficient means to enable him to pay and to time being allowed for payment if the person so desires.