HC Deb 10 May 1993 vol 224 cc344-5W
Rev. Martin Smyth

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total number of items seized on the grounds of obscenity by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mr. Mates

The question of whether an item is obscene is a matter for the courts. Police records indicate that, during the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993, a total of 690 pornographic tapes were seized by the RUC. Other pornographic items, such as magazines, may have been seized by police at local level but no central record is maintained of such seizures.