The correspondence referred to by the Deputy highlights a number of important issues which are of concern to me.
In the first instance, the importation of pornographic material, whether by post or other means, is prohibited under section 42 of the Customs Consolidation Act, 1876. I understand that the customs service is responsible for the enforcement aspects of this legislation and I am aware that they are very active in this regard and that any attempts to import pornographic material are liable to seizure and prosecution.
The Deputy may wish to note that there are other legislative measures in place to combat the dissemination, distribution, sale and/or rental of pornographic material. Details of these measures were given by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in answer to Question No. 207 on 2 December 1998.
Enforcement of this legislation is a matter for the Garda Síochána. As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda will act on the basis of information or complaints received in relation to matters of this kind. I would, therefore, suggest to the Deputy to encourage any of the persons involved to report the matter to the Garda for their investigation to see if breaches of the criminal law have occurred. There may be data protection aspects to this case as well and the Office of the Data Protection Commission may be able to investigate certain aspects of this case under the terms of the Data Protection Act, 1988.