HC Deb 22 July 2004 vol 424 cc602-3W
Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are for meetings to be held between Ministers and computer manufacturers to discuss ways of limiting access to obscene websites, with particular reference to fitting filters at source. [184459]

Paul Goggins

[holding answer 19 July 2004]The Government firm]} believes that users of the internet should be able to control what they see, and in particular what children are able to see, online. We support the development of a range of products and approaches to achieve this. Tools to enable such control can be applied by use of specific filtering software or by use of an Internet Service Provider which offers access controls as part of the internet connection "package". Pre-loaded safety software, pre-set at point of sale to a high safety level, would be one of these options. We are currently working with the British Standards Institute to develop a BSI "kitemark" for filtering products, which could help guide consumers in their choices. This development follows initial work done by the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet.

Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to provide funding to police authorities specifically for tackling obscene publications on the internet in terms of(a) manpower and (b) IT expertise. [184462]

Paul Goggins

Funding for this area of activity is met from within police authorities' own budgets. We have no plans to hypothecate the funding that police authorities should make available to tackle this particular issue.

Provision for policing in England and Wales has increased by over £2.3 billion (over 30 per cent.) since 2000–01. The recent Spending Review settlement will allow us to continue with this significant investment in policing, although we are still to decide the detailed allocation of the settlement.

The deployment of officers to deal with this issue and the training they receive is a matter for individual chief officers.

Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to(a) review and (b) propose amendments to the law governing obscene publications. [184463]

Paul Goggins

[holding answer 19 July 2004]We are concerned about the availability of obscene material, particularly on the internet. We are currently considering whether the law governing obscene publications should be strengthened. This issue was discussed during the adjournment debate on 18 May, which was obtained by my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Lepper).