The Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981 (c. 42) is an act of Parliament covering

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

but not

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. It is concerned with preventing the display of "indecent" material to the unsuspecting public. As with the

Protection of Children Act {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Protection of Children Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom. List * The Prevention of Cruelty to, and Protection of, Children Act 1889 * The Protection of Children Act 1978 * The P ...

, the act does not define indecency, although it does give some directions as to how a display can be considered indecent. It establishes that "If any indecent matter is publicly displayed the person making the display and any person causing or permitting the display to be made shall be guilty of an offence", making exceptions for the following: * material that is in a shop behind a warning notice (intended to protect

sex shops A sex shop is a retailer that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, pornography, and other related products. An early precursor of the modern sex shop was a chain of stores set up in Par ...

for adults who wished to use them) * anything for a paying adult audience only * cinemas, theatres, and broadcasting, which are regulated separately * displays by "the Crown or any local authority" * museums and art galleries * the actual human body, which is again subject to other controls The maximum sentence under the act for making an indecent display is two years imprisonment. Various older pieces of legislation dealing with similar matters were repealed by the act, but it was directed that other legislation in Scotland was to remain in force alongside it, including provisions that later became part of the

Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 45) is an act of the United Kingdom Parliament which makes provision for a wide range of civic government matters. Effects of the act Parts I and II of the act deal with licensing by local authoriti ...

Applicability

Prosecutions under the act are rare. In response to a parliamentary question in 2006, it was revealed that proceedings in England and Wales in the years 2002–2004 had run at three, six and two cases, with only three guilty verdicts, all in 2004. The type of material covered by the definition "indecent" could be any material that does not meet a standard of

decency Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the ...

in English or Scots law, a category considerably lower than that of "obscenity", which makes material illegal to sell, even in private. Under one of the act's predecessors, the album ''

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'' (often shortened to ''Never Mind the Bollocks'') is the only studio album by English punk rock band the Sex Pistols, released on 28 October 1977 through Virgin Records in the UK and on 11 Novem ...

'' was unsuccessfully prosecuted, and it has been displayed in shops ever since. In 2004, a nude sculpture was concealed from outside view after a warning about the act. In the case of advertisements, such as the fcuk campaign, the Advertising Standards Authority deals with complaints on a self-regulatory basis.

References

External links

* *{{UK-LEG, path=ukpga/1981/42/contents, title=Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981 United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1981