Written question asked by Patrick Mercer (Conservative) on Wednesday, 20 May 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 1 June 2009. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 June 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Terrorism: Internet

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers her Department has to (a) order the closure of websites hosted in the UK which display material considered by her Department to be unlawful under the Terrorism Act 2006 and (b) to restrict the activities of owners of such sites.

Answer: The Home Office has no such powers. Under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 a police constable may issue a notice to an internet service provider that requires unlawful terrorism-related material to be removed or modified within two working days. Failure to do so is not an offence in itself but removes the defence of non-endorsement to charges under sections 1 and 2 of the Act.Owners of websites containing unlawful material may commit offences under sections l or 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006 (publishing a statement that encourages others directly or indirectly to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, or dissemination of terrorist publications).

Secondary information