§ Mr. HesfordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government are taking to prevent child pornography being transmitted over the Internet; and what penalties exist to deter those responsible for publishing child pornography over the Internet. [100293]
§ Mr. BoatengThe criminal law applies equally to material on computer systems as to material in other forms. We have very strict legislation against child pornography which makes it an offence to produce, circulate or possess with a view to distribution any indecent photograph of a child under 16. These offences carry a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both. The simple possession of an indecent photograph of a child is also an offence and carries a maximum sentence of six months' imprisonment. 211W Section 84 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 updated these controls to include indecent computer-generated photographs of children and they have been successfully applied to child pornography transmitted over the Internet.
We are determined to ensure that there are effective measures against child pornography. We support the work of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) which passes to the police details of potentially unlawful material brought to their attention by members of the public via a specially established hotline. If the originators of the material are abroad, the Foundation passes the report to the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) who liaise with the enforcement agencies of the countries concerned. The IWF took action on 430 reports of alleged child pornography in 1998.
The Government also fully support international initiatives in the Council of Europe and the G8 to combat criminal misuse of the Internet.