Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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174. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when the Register of Prohibited Publications will be updated to reflect the current legal position regarding the sale and distribution of publications that relate to abortion, specifically Abortion Internationally, banned in 1983; Abortion: Our Struggle for Control, banned in 1983; and Abortion: Right or Wrong, published in 1942; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17655/25]

Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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178. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when he plans to uncensor the books that were supposed to be uncensored following the repeal of the eight amendment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17727/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 174 and 178 together.

The Censorship of Publications Act, 1946, provides for a Register of Prohibited Publications. The Register in respect of books is in two parts and contains details of books which have been prohibited and when the notice was originally published in Iris Oifigiúil, which indicates when the prohibition came into effect.

The books identified by the Deputy are currently included on Part 2 of the Register, which contains particulars of books prohibited on the ground(s) that they were indecent or obscene and/or that they advocate the procurement of abortion or miscarriage or the use of any method, treatment or appliance for the purpose of such procurement, as per section 7(b) of the 1946 Act. The Register of Prohibited publications was last updated in 2016.

On 21 November 2023, the Government approved the repeal of the Censorship of Publications Acts, 1929 to 1967, following a review undertaken in my Department on the continuing need to have censorship provisions for printed publications. Preparatory work on the amending legislation has been undertaken and it is planned that this will proceed during the term of the current Government.

Section 5 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 repealed sections 16 and 17(1) of the Censorship of Publications Act 1929 and sections 7(b) and 9(1)(b) of the 1946 Act. Consequently, the grounds were removed for prohibiting a publication on grounds related to abortion.

It is intended that the entirety of the Register of Prohibited Publications be stood down as part of the repeal of the Censorship of Publications Acts, thereby obviating the need to review of the current Register.