asked the Minister for Justice if he will consider introducing a Bill on the lines of the Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act enacted in Britain in 1955.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Harmful Publications Legislation.
71.
As the English Act mentioned was primarily directed against the so called "horror-comic" type of magazine, I assume it is to that type of publication the question is meant to relate.
I am not aware of any significant volume of complaint about such publications and I am not aware that they are a problem of any dimension here. Moreover, under existing law, the powers of the Censorship of Publications Board would be sufficient to deal with at least some of them if they were brought to the board's notice and in fact one particular series of horror-comics was prohibited by the board in August last.
In these circumstances, I am not satisfied that there is a need, at present at all events, for special legislation on the matter.
Arising from the Minister's reply I should like to ask him two questions. Is the Minister aware of the fact that certain publications of this nature which are on free sale in Dublin are at this very moment the subject of a prosecution by the British Attorney General under the Act to which I referred? Does the Minister not think it anomalous that magazines can be sold in this city which are regarded as corrupting and consequently prohibited in what we normally refer to as pagan England?
The position is that the powers of our Censorship of Publications Board are extensive. One complaint was made to the board in August last about one series of the sort of publication to which the Deputy refers and that series was banned. If there is at present on sale in Dublin or elsewhere in the land some similar series to which objection might be taken, I would suggest that it be referred at once to the Censorship Board and no doubt they will take the appropriate action they see fit to take.