Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to combat the dissemination of racist material on the Internet.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, the Government condemn those who use the Internet to distribute race hate material. Provided that it falls within our jurisdiction, Internet material is subject to the same laws as material distributed by other means. The Public Order Act 1986 deals with material which is threatening, abusive or insulting and intended to stir up racial hatred.
Last month the Home Secretary announced that the Government were making available £25 million to the police over the next three years to initiate the implementation of a national hi-tech crime strategy. That will enhance the capability of law enforcement to investigate crime more effectively where new technology is used. The Home Office is currently discussing with the Internet Watch Foundation ways in which the IWF can act on complaints by members of the public about racist material on the net.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that comprehensive reply. However, is he familiar with the recent report of the racism monitoring unit of the European Union which states that over 2,100 websites on the Internet now promote racism and anti-Semitism and that a substantial number of them are based in the United Kingdom, including the notorious Blood and Honour Combat 18 website, which promotes Holocaust denial, incitement to racial hatred and the adoration of Adolf Hitler? Is he satisfied that the Internet Watch Foundation, to which he referred, has sufficient resources to do the job? Does he not feel that as the Public Order Act 1986 was introduced before the Internet was developed, there is a case for strengthening its provisions in this area?
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I am aware of the report. I have a copy and I have been studying it. It is very disturbing, particularly with regard to the development of Internet race hate material, as my noble friend said. We are satisfied with the way in which the Internet Watch Foundation works. We have had detailed discussions with it about this very sensitive matter. We are as alarmed as everybody else by the growth of such material. We are concerned, and we shall ensure that the foundation has adequate resources. We continue to support it to that end.
As I said earlier, we are providing additional resources to the police service so that it can improve the quality of enforcement in this area. That requires training and an understanding of the new techniques which are available and of the way in which the net can be used and abused.
