New broadcasting laws are expected to get the go ahead of the Cabinet this morning.

Under the plans the Communications minister intends to cut the regulation fees of independent broadcasters and tackle licence fee evasion - but Denis Naughten will not go ahead with applying the licence fee to laptops and tablets.

Evasion rates on the TV licence are nearly double that of the UK and sees broadcasters lose out on about 40 million a year.

Under the new legislation a tender to tackle this evasion will be put out as currently An Post only has 40 inspectors nationwide.

However the sale of TV licences would continue through the post office network.

The communications minister intends to use some of this money to fund the regulation of the broadcasting sector - meaning independent broadcasters could have their annual levy cut or abolished altogether.

But Denis Naughten has abandoned plans to apply the licence fee to larger tablets and laptops for households that don't have a TV set, believing that enforcement would be next to impossible

If Cabinet approves the legislation today the broadcasting laws could be changed by the end of the year.