§ Gillian MerronTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action he has taken to investigate whether special websites are used by hooligans to orchestrate football violence; and if he will make a statement; [35437]
917W(2) what recent discussions he has had with (a) police and (b) internet service providers to ensure that football hooligan websites cannot be set up; [35436]
(3) what investigations he has made into the number of football websites with links to paramilitary groups; and if he will make a statement. [35448]
§ Mr. DenhamThe National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) monitors websites associated with football hooliganism and shares information with local police forces. There is no evidence that the sites are used to orchestrate football disorder, or that individuals who set up or visit the sites are directly involved in the phenomenon. Some sites do have information technology (IT) links with paramilitary websites and some hooligans do have links with racist and other extremist groups. However, football hooligans come from all social and cultural backgrounds and there seems to be no necessary connection between football disorder generally and political extremism.
Government and the police liaise closely on all matters connected with football disorder, including on internet and other communication issues. There are no plans to discuss hooligan websites with internet service providers. Material appearing on the internet is subject to the same laws as material distributed by other means, providing it falls within United Kingdom jurisdiction. The sites are monitored and, at present, the material posted on net servers based in the United Kingdom appears to reproduce information and opinions which, however unpalatable, are already published legally in the United Kingdom. Material posted on websites hosted abroad, which includes a number associated with football hooliganism, falls outside United Kingdom jurisdiction. NCIS liaises closely with overseas law enforcement agencies on this matter and mutual assistance arrangements are being developed as a requirement of the G8 Action Plan on 'high tech' crime.
§ Gillian MerronTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to define criminal material on websites. [35447]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyLegislation already exists to combat the publication and distribution of illegal material and those laws apply equally online and offline. There are no plans to introduce legislation specific to websites.