I welcome the amendments. I recall visiting Scotland Yard about a year ago, prior to the briefing available yesterday to members of the Committee. I went there in the course of my then new job as criminal justice spokesman to discuss the issue of internet pornography. It was brought home to me that there was a serious difficulty in that although there was clearly a deep anxiety about photographs taken of children that clearly involved abuse, there was a volume of extremely unpleasant material that was simply generated by computer, but which still had the same capacity to corrupt, particularly when aimed at the young. The Minister has taken on board the views of the police, and has incorporated them into the clause, so that showing such material will be a criminal offence.

It is striking that the Minister has decided that the provisions should be extended to vulnerable adults, and I welcome that. Perhaps it is dangerous to say so, but I suspect that all Committee members agree that that is a sensible course of action. However, it raises profound issues about child pornography. Such material is regarded as tending to deprave and

corrupt children and vulnerable adults, so it is noteworthy that we allow adults to be exposed to it to their heart's content, as long as the material is generated either by sexual activities between adults or—this is equally interesting—it involves visual images that may show sex between adults and children that are not photographs.

I am sure that the Minister is aware of that difficult issue, which worries the police but strays deeply into areas of civil liberties. I am quite satisfied that, in doing what he has done, the Minister is on the right side of the line. However, I cannot ignore the fact that my visit to Scotland Yard brought home to me that we have been somewhat complacent in our attitude to the large amount of material that does not fall foul of the law at present, but which is in fact extremely unpleasant and which can be used, as the Minister accepts, for even more unpleasant purposes.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 13, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.