HC Deb 28 January 1992 vol 202 c475W
Miss Emma Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures his Department intends to take against retailers and libraries to require them to treat pornographic disks as adult publications only;

(2) what measures his Department intends to take to draw parents', publishers', retailers', and librarians' attention to the problem of access to pornographic disks for children;

(3) what measures his Department is to take against the existing open access of children to pornographic computer disks;

(4) if he will introduce legislation to make it illegal for people knowingly (a) to publish an advertisement for computer disks which contain illegal pornography and (b) sell magazines which contain advertisements for illegal pornography on computer disks.

Mr. John Patten

The Government entirely share my hon. Friend's concern about the use of computer technology to store and transmit pornographic material. The criminal law relating to obscenity already applies to such material and there are also legal safeguards against offensive material being sent over public telecommunications systems.

I am advised that the practical issue is therefore not primarily one of inadequate legislation, but of enforcement and obtaining evidence sufficient to bring proceedings. Both the Metropolitan police obscene publications branch and other police forces are very aware of this problem and are monitoring the situation closely.

The Government also recognise the well-founded concern about the exposure of children to objectionable material, whatever its form. However this is also a question of parental responsibility and we encourage suppliers and parents to be particularly conscientious in satisfying themselves that children are not obtaining material which is obviously unsuitable.

As far as those who offer to supply obscene material in magazines or elsewhere are concerned, their actions are already prohibited under the Obscene Publications Act. Although I cannot give an authoritative interpretation on a point of law, it is possible that a publisher who knowingly assisted in this by accepting an advertisement could be held to be guilty of aiding and abetting the offence.