HC Deb 11 December 1967 vol 756 cc30-1W
Mr. Whitaker

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will review the practice of Customs officials removing from travellers and visitors books which have not been the subject of any legal proceedings in the United Kingdom; and which literary or other experts are consulted by Customs officials in deciding which books to seize.

Mr. Harold Lever:

There is a statutory prohibition on the import of indecent and obscene books, which it is the duty of the Customs to administer. I am not aware of any recent general difficulty arising in the administration of the prohibition. However, we are carefully considering a particular case which my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead has raised with my right hon. Friend.