§ Mr. DjanoglyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are for meetings to be held between Ministers, credit card companies and collection agents to discuss ways of limiting access to obscene websites. [184460]
§ Paul Gogginsholding answer 19 July 2004]: The Home Office has been working closely with the Association for Payment Clearing Services, (APACS) who have a clear policy that acquiring banks routinely monitor the transaction activity of their internet merchants, and that they will not knowingly do business with sites that sell content inciting, advocating or perpetuating violence against persons, including scenes of sexual assault. APACS have also been developing a range of work with he Internet Watch Foundation to assist in tracking and identifying illegal sites.
§ Mr. DjanoglyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to encourage international co-operation and an international unified policy on obscene publications on the internet. [184461]
§ Paul Goggins[holding answer 19 July 2004]: International co-operation is essential if we are to have any impact on the availability of any particular kind of material on the internet. We have raised this matter in 863W the United States, and are considering what scope there is for a wider initiative to influence other countries, and for specifically targeting those questions at the G8.