§ Dan NorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures the Government are taking to prevent child pornography being placed on the Internet; [111268]
(2) what penalties are in place to deter people from publishing child pornography on the Internet; and what further measures are planned. [111269]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeWe have very strict legislation against child pornography which applies equally to material placed on the Internet as to material in other forms. Under the Protection of Children Act 1978, the United Kingdom has an absolute prohibition on the production, circulation and possession with a view to distribution of 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 under Section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and carries a sentence of six months' imprisonment. 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 who liaise with the enforcement agencies of the countries concerned. The IWF took action on 1,126 reports of alleged child pornography in 1999.
The Government also fully support international initiatives in the Council of Europe and the G8 to combat criminal misuse of the Internet.