§ Mr. Gordon MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions of unlicensed sex shops under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 have occurred in the last five years; and what proportion was successful. [19562]
§ Mr. MichaelIn 1989, there was one prosecution under schedule 3 of the Act. This resulted in a conviction.
Information collected since then has not identified individual offences committed under this specific Act.
§ Mr. Gordon MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the effectiveness of the significant degree rule for the regulation of shops selling sex articles. [19561]
§ Mr. MichaelWe keep the operation of section 2 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, including the "significant degree" rule, under general review. The City of Westminster Act 1996 contains measures to improve the enforcement of the 1982 Act provisions and we will be considering whether experience of its operation suggests the need for more general changes.