HL Deb 11 June 2002 vol 636 cc24-5WA
Baroness Ludford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they have taken to prevent child pornography appearing on the Internet. [HL4388]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton

The Government are determined to tackle child pornography whether on or off line and the criminal law applies equally to both.

The majority of child pornography is placed on servers outside the United Kingdom. However, there are effective measures to deal with it when it appears within our jurisdiction. Since its formation in 1996, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has operated a hotline to enable users to report the presence of child pornography in a newsgroup or website. If the IWF assesses the material as likely to be illegal and it is hosted on a UK server, the internet service provider (ISP) is notified by the IWF and must remove it or risk breaking the law. Over 40,000 items of child pornography have been removed in this way. Details of the site are sent to the police or, if the originator is abroad, to the enforcement agency of the country concerned via the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).

In January 2001, we raised the maximum penalties for taking, making, distributing or showing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children to 10 years (from three years) and the maximum penalty for simple possession of such material to five years (from six months).

In November 2000 the then Home Secretary announced a £25 million investment in the police over three years specifically to fight hi-tech crime and to enhance the capability of the police at national and local level to investigate computer based offences, including the possession and distribution of illegal pornography.

In March 2001, the then Home Secretary established a Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet. The task force began work in May. It is a partnership of representatives from the Internet service and communication providers; the Internet Watch Foundation: PC and software retailers and manufacturers; child welfare organisations; the main Opposition parties; law enforcement agencies and academics.

The task force is looking at proposals for legislation to tackle paedophile "grooming" activity on and off line and best practice models for providers of chat and other Internet services and computer awareness training for the police and child protection practitioners.

Internationally, the Government are supporting efforts within the European Union and more widely to combat child pornography on the Internet. In November 2001, we signed the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime which will underpin co-operative action between signatory states in respect of computer-related crimes, including the making, distribution and possession of child pornography.