§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reform the Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964. [124177]
§ Mr. StrawThe Government keep the obscenity laws under general review and are determined to ensure that they remain effective in protecting the rights and freedoms of different people to have access to, and to be protected from, certain types of material. The Obscene Publications Act 1959 continues to provide a flexible regulatory tool, applying equally now to material published on the internet as it does to other media. Data for 1998 show that the Act continues to be effective with 196 prosecutions under the Act, 176 of which led to convictions.