Fixed penalty payments, a separate regime for commercial premises and the updating of existing fines are among the changes to the licence fee payment scheme announced today by the Minister for Communications, Eamon Ryan.
He was speaking at the launch of a new website, www.tvlicence.ie, which allows new and existing licence holders to buy their licence online.
The minister said the overall aim of the changes is to make buying a TV licence easier and make the collection system more efficient.
From now on, people who are found not to have a TV licence can be issued with a fixed payment notice, capped at one-third of the licence fee, along with proof of purchase within 21 days, a move designed to avoid court appearances.
The fine for not holding a TV licence upon conviction is to be increased to €1000.
It is not proposed at this stage to extend the need for a licence to devices other than televisions.
The changes come ahead of the Broadcasting Bill, which is due to be published in the next two weeks, and will provide for a raft of changes to Irish broadcasting legislation including the setting up of an overall regulator, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
