Television Licences: Non-payment
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases awaiting trial are related to non-payment of the BBC license fee by (a) age and (b) sex.
Answered by Sarah Sackman
The Ministry of Justice holds data on cases awaiting trial related to non-payment of the BBC licence fee. As of 6 November 2025, there were 76 such cases.
By age:
Age Categories | Case Count |
Under 25 | 1 |
25-44 | 31 |
45-64 | 40 |
65 and over | 3 |
No age recorded | 1 |
By sex:
Gender | Case Count |
Female | 58 |
Male | 17 |
Not recorded | 1 |
Source: HMCTS management information Common Platform: extracted 6 November 2025
Data Caveats:
1) The count is based upon cases in which a hearing is scheduled for 6 November 2025 or the future and contains the following offence codes CT0310 - Use a television set without a licence; CA03010B - Aid / abet / counsel / procure the use of a television receiver without a licence; CA03011 - Possess a television set with intent to install / use without a licence; CA03501 - Use a television set without a licence - other address (manual entry).
2) Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and is the best data that is available.
3) Data are management information and are not subject to the same level of checks as official statistics.
4) Data are taken from a live management information system and can change over time and for that reason might differ slightly from any previously published information.
5) Data has not been cross referenced with case files.
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