§ Mr. Sainsburyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest year for which he has figures for prosecutions and convictions under sections 2 and 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959; and how many relate wholly or mainly to video cassettes.
§ Mr. Mayhew1980 is the latest year for which information is available centrally. Records available to us,308W which may be incomplete, show in that year 239 prosecutions and 162 convictions under section 2 and 562 orders made under section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act, 1959 as amended in 1964. Information on the circumstances of such offences is not collected centrally.