The operational budget of the Censorship Office (CO) is small to function effectively, Minister for community development Dame Carol Kidu said.
She said there was a need to update the legislation that governs the Censorship Office and the Censorship Board to account for changes in the technological environment.
Dame Carol said the concern of the CO was the non-functioning board as a result of non-allocation of funds by the treasury.
“Even the operating budget is so small to preclude transfers within the recurrent budget to subsidise board meeting costs,” she said.
Another concern was for the CO to expand the opportunity for greater revenue collection.
It had collected K192,000 last September.
Dame Kidu said the existing legislation that had been in force for over 18 years was now outdated compared to the significant changes in technology.
The changes included were the introduction of television that had closed down cinemas and theatres throughout the country.
Dame Carol said films on television, digital compact disc and video compact disc are slowly taking over families’ entire leisure times.
She said the quantity of material both positive and objectionable and available on the internet were enormous and presently beyond the control of censorship authorities.
“Other technological changes are taking place with mobile telephones, which on the basis of experience suggests that information transfer would also become available and are outside the control of censorship authorities,” she said.
Dame Carol said Censorship Board was tasked to consider all books, papers, magazines, audio-cassettes, films, video tape, pictorials, photographic and advertising matters relating to pornographic materiald and sex aids.
 She said the CO comprises eight staff including the chief censor and operates with a budget of K263,900.
She said as at July 2007, the office had received 500 films and publications for classification, of which 166 new film titles were classified and 35 publications were registered. 
She said the allocation to service the board was just K30,000, despite an actual cost of K77,500 (not including conference and board expenditure costs).
“As a result, last year’s allocation was used to settle the outstanding fees of 2006 and for one board meeting.
“Since that time and despite the NEC meeting approving K150,000 to settle 2006 outstanding fees and allowances, these funds had not been disbursed by the treasury,” she said.
As a consequence no further board meetings had taken place in 2007.