Censorship of Publications Act, 1946

Register of prohibited publications.

16.—(1) The Censorship Board shall cause to be prepared and kept a register, in the prescribed form, to be called the Register of Prohibited Publications.

(2) Whenever a prohibition order is made the Censorship Board shall, as soon as may be, cause to be entered in the register—

(a) if the order relates to a book, the title of the book, the edition or editions thereof to which the order applies, the name of the author and of the publisher of the book if and as stated therein, the date of the order and the date of the publication thereof in the Iris Oifigiúil;

(b) if the order relates to a periodical publication, the title of the periodical publication, the edition or editions thereof to which the order applies, the name of the proprietor and of the publisher thereof, if and as stated therein, the date of the order and the date of the publication thereof in the Iris Oifigiúil.

(3) The Censorship Board shall, as soon as may be after the revocation or expiration of a prohibition order, cause to be deleted from the register the entry relating to the relevant book or periodical publication.

(4) The Censorship Board shall, as soon as may be after the variation of a prohibition order, cause particulars of the varying order and of the variation effected thereby to be entered in the register opposite the entry relating to the relevant book or periodical publication.

(5) The Censorship Board shall cause the register to be printed, published and made available to the public in such manner and at such times as the Minister may direct.

(6) It shall be the duty of every officer of customs and excise examining the baggage of incoming travellers to exhibit on demand a list of all prohibited books and prohibited periodical publications.

(7) The register shall be open to inspection free of charge by any person at such place in the City of Dublin and at such hours as shall be prescribed and a copy of any entry in the register certified by a member or an officer of the Censorship Board to be a true copy shall be furnished by the Censorship Board to any person on payment of such fee as may be prescribed from time to time by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

(8) A document purporting to be a copy of an entry in the register and to be certified by a member or an officer of the Censorship Board to be a true copy shall, without proof of the signature of such member or officer or of the fact that he is such member or officer, be accepted in all courts of justice as evidence until the contrary is proved of the terms of such entry and that the entry was contained in the register at the date on which such certificate purports to have been given.

(9) The fact that a book or a periodical publication is at any particular time entered in the register shall be conclusive evidence that a prohibition order has been made in regard thereto and that such order is then still in force and the terms of such entry in the register shall be conclusive evidence of the editions of such book or editions or issues of such periodical publication to which such order applies.

(10) The register required, before the operative date, to be kept under section 11 of the Act of 1929 shall, as on and from the operative date, be deemed to form part of the register.

(11) The reference in section 16 of the Act of 1929 to the register of prohibited publications shall be construed as a reference to the register.