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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Nick Clegg cautious on plan to drop licence fee prosecutions | Nick Clegg cautious on plan to drop licence fee prosecutions |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Nick Clegg has indicated that the Liberal Democrats will not offer immediate support for backbench Tory plans to remove the threat of prosecuting people who refuse to pay the BBC licence fee. | Nick Clegg has indicated that the Liberal Democrats will not offer immediate support for backbench Tory plans to remove the threat of prosecuting people who refuse to pay the BBC licence fee. |
| David Cameron has expressed interest in the idea proposed by the Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen to decriminalise non-payment and instead make it a civil offence. Bridgen has won the support of more than 140 MPs for an amendment to the deregulation bill. | David Cameron has expressed interest in the idea proposed by the Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen to decriminalise non-payment and instead make it a civil offence. Bridgen has won the support of more than 140 MPs for an amendment to the deregulation bill. |
| The BBC says decriminalising non-payment could cost it £200m in annual revenues, forcing it to close local radio stations. | The BBC says decriminalising non-payment could cost it £200m in annual revenues, forcing it to close local radio stations. |
| The deputy PM indicated that an immediate change was unlikely. He said changes to the licence fee should only be made during negotiations over the renewal of the BBC charter in 2016, a year after the next general election. | The deputy PM indicated that an immediate change was unlikely. He said changes to the licence fee should only be made during negotiations over the renewal of the BBC charter in 2016, a year after the next general election. |
| Clegg said during his weekly radio phone-in on LBC: "We'll look at it [the Bridgen proposal]. Of course it needs to be looked at. It has been looked at in the past and has not been taken up in the past. It needs to be decided not now, overnight, but in the context of the renewal of the BBC charter and the licence fee. | Clegg said during his weekly radio phone-in on LBC: "We'll look at it [the Bridgen proposal]. Of course it needs to be looked at. It has been looked at in the past and has not been taken up in the past. It needs to be decided not now, overnight, but in the context of the renewal of the BBC charter and the licence fee. |
| "You know the arguments. People are saying why is this clogging up the courts. The counter-argument is if you change it, if you relax the penalty, you decriminalise it, then the BBC loses a lot of money. If the BBC loses a lot of money local radio stations go off-air and it is bad for the BBC." | "You know the arguments. People are saying why is this clogging up the courts. The counter-argument is if you change it, if you relax the penalty, you decriminalise it, then the BBC loses a lot of money. If the BBC loses a lot of money local radio stations go off-air and it is bad for the BBC." |
| Clegg indicated that he was listening to the objections raised by the BBC. "I am certainly not decided in my own mind about whether this change is merited. I think even a small loss of revenue for the BBC could jeopardise things that a lot of people depend on. Just a small drop would mean that you are suddenly not able to fund a number of local radio stations, for instance," he said. | Clegg indicated that he was listening to the objections raised by the BBC. "I am certainly not decided in my own mind about whether this change is merited. I think even a small loss of revenue for the BBC could jeopardise things that a lot of people depend on. Just a small drop would mean that you are suddenly not able to fund a number of local radio stations, for instance," he said. |
| Non-payment is currently a criminal offence punishable by a maximum £1,000 fine. Failure to pay the fine can lead to a jail sentence. |