I thank the Deputy for her continued interest in this work.
The changes made by the 2017 Sexual Offences Act allow those engaged in prostitution to provide information to Gardaí, for instance if they were subjected to violence by clients, without fear of prosecution for selling sexual services.
Section 27 of the Act provides for the review to which the Deputy's question refers.
As the Deputy is aware, my Department commissioned an independent consultant to undertake this statutory review but, due to a number of reasons, it wasn’t possible for the review to be completed within the desired timeframe.
I very much regret the delay.
Expressions of interest to complete the Part 4 review of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017 were sought with a closing date for receipt of 31 October 2023. The Department has convened a review panel to assess the expressions of interest received. Meetings were held last week with the parties who expressed an interest and I expect to be in a position to decide on the next steps in the near future and that the review can be completed without any further undue delay.
Again, I reiterate that I regret the delay with this review and want to see the report finalised and published as soon as possible.
I can assure the Deputy that once the review is completed and the report received, any recommendations made will be considered as a priority.
