§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has concerning the584W number of occasions in each of the last five years upon which Her Majesty's Customs and Excise officers investigated individuals returning from overseas in connection with the possible import of child pornography; and in how many of these cases prosecutions resulted.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory[holding answer 28 February 1995]: The information requested is not available in that form. Centrally collated statistics for the period prior to 1993–94 do not disaggregate Customs investigations into offences concerning indecent or obscene paedophile material from those concerning illicit importations of other obscene material. Furthermore, the statistics for 1993–94 onwards refer to all investigations of importations of paedophile material, including postal importations.
Between 1 April 1993 and the current date the following numbers of individuals have been investigated by officers of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in connection with suspected importation of indecent or obsence paedophile material, child pornography.
- April 1993—March 1994: 70
- April 1994—current date: 79
Of these, the following numbers have had proceedings instituted against them.
- April 1993—March 1994: 34
- April 1994—current date: 14