Neasa Hourigan
Question:400. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Justice when the review of Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3840/24]
View answerTuesday, 30 January 2024
Questions (400, 411)
Brian Leddin
Question:411. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Justice for a timeline on the completion of the review of Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3939/24]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 400 and 411 together.
A key purpose for the 2017 Sexual Offences Act was to provide additional protection to persons involved in prostitution, especially vulnerable persons and victims of human trafficking.
It allows 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 2017 Act provides for a review of Part 4 of the Act 3 years after its commencement.
Given that the goal of the legislation is to protect vulnerable persons, the review will include consideration of whether further measures are needed to strengthen protection for persons who engage in sexual activity for payment.
As part of the review, an online public consultation was opened and contributions were received from a broad range of organisations with different perspectives.
My Department commissioned an independent consultant to undertake this statutory review but, due to a number of reasons, it was not possible for the review to be completed within the desired timeframe.
The Department is considering the best options to conclude the review in a timely and thorough fashion and I expect to be in a position to decide on the next steps in the near future so that the review can be completed without any further undue delay.