§ Baroness Goudieasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the consultation paper on the British Board of Film Classification's Annual Report for 1999. [HL3568]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonMy right honourable friend, the Home Secretary, has today placed in the Library a consultation paper on the regulation of R18 videos. As your Lordships will be aware, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary and I were extremely disappointed with the High Court decision, on 16 May, which dismissed the British Board of Film Classification's application for judicial review in respect of appeals against its decision not to classify seven sexually explicit videos in the R (restricted) 18 category—which are available only in licensed sex shops. The Government maintain a firm commitment to the protection of children from unsuitable sexually explicit material and, in the light of the recent judgment, publishing a consultation paper which examines a number of options to improve the safeguards for children from possible exposure to videos classified in the R (restricted) 18 category. The paper also proposes measures for modernising and strengthening the recruitment and appointment procedures of the Video Appeals Committee.