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Published by The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill
Author: Frazer McCallum
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Published: Wednesday 20 Aug 2025 (SB 25-33)
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Overview
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Overview
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Summary
Introduction
Existing criminal law
Policy approach in the Bill
Provisions of the Bill
Offence of paying for the performance of a sexual act
Repeal of offence of soliciting
Quashing of historic convictions
Right to assistance and support
Scottish Government policy and research
Approaches to prostitution in other countries
Scottish Government's international evidence review
Review of the approach in Northern Ireland
Review of the approach in the Republic of Ireland
Key issues from approaches in other countries
Annex 1: Challenging demand for prostitution, international evidence review - executive summary (Scottish Government 2022)
Annex 2: Review on the operation of section 7A of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 - extract from executive summary (Government of Ireland 2025)
Sources
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Scottish Parliament. (2025, May 20). Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill [as introduced] Session 6 (2025) SP Bill 69. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/prostitution-offences-and-support-scotland-bill/introduced/spbill69s062025.pdf
Scottish Parliament. (n.d.) About Members' Bills. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/about-bills/about-members-bills
Scottish Parliament. (2025, May 20). Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill: Explanatory Notes Session 6 (2025) SP Bill 69-EN. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/prostitution-offences-and-support-scotland-bill/introduced/spbill69ens062025accessible.pdf
Scottish Parliament. (2025, May 20). Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill: Policy Memorandum Session 6 (2025) SP Bill 69-PM. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/prostitution-offences-and-support-scotland-bill/introduced/spbill69ens062025accessible.pdf
Scottish Parliament. (2025, May 20). Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum Session 6 (2025) SP Bill 69-FM. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/prostitution-offences-and-support-scotland-bill/introduced/spbill69fms062025accessible.pdf
Scottish Parliament. (n.d.) Proposed Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/proposals-for-bills/proposed-prostitution-offences-and-support-scotland-bill
Ash Regan MSP. (2024, June 19). Unbuyable - Proposed Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill Consultation. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/proposed-members-bills/consultation-on-proposed-prostitution-offences-and-support-scotland-bill.pdf
Ash Regan MSP. (2025, January 27). Proposed Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill – Summary Of Consultation Responses. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/proposed-members-bills/summary-of-consultation-responses-proposed-prostitution-offences-and-support-bill.pdf
Scottish Parliament. (2025, June 25). Criminal Justice Committee, Scottish Parliament Official Report, Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/CJ-25-06-2025?meeting=16531&iob=141163
Scottish Parliament. (2025, June 30). Criminal Justice Committee, Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill - call for views. Retrieved from
https://yourviews.parliament.scot/justice/prostitution-offences-support-bill/
Scottish Parliament. (2025, June 23). Criminal Justice Committee, Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill - Letter from the Minister for Victims and Community Safety to the Convener. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-criminal-justice-committee/correspondence/2025/prostitution-offences-and-support-bill
Police Scotland. (n.d.) Prostitution. Retrieved from
https://www.scotland.police.uk/advice-and-information/prostitution/
United Nations. (1979, December 18). Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Retrieved from
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-elimination-all-forms-discrimination-against-women
Scottish Sentencing Council. (n.d.) Community sentences. Retrieved from
https://www.scottishsentencingcouncil.org.uk/sentencing-information/community-sentences
Scottish Parliament. (2017, November 6). Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) (Scotland) Bill: Policy Memorandum Session 5 (2017) SP Bill 21-PM. Retrieved from
https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/previous-bills/historical-sexual-offences-pardons-and-disregards-scotland-bill/introduced/policy-memorandum-historical-sexual-offences-pardons-and-disregards-scotland-bill.pdf
Scottish Parliament. (2024, May 14). Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill: Policy Memorandum Session 6 (2024) SP Bill 47-PM. Retrieved from
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Scottish Government. (2023, December 7). Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy for Preventing and Eradicating Violence Against Women and Girls. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/equally-safe-scotlands-strategy-preventing-eradicating-violence-against-women-girls/
Scottish Government. (2024, February 6). Scotland's strategic approach to challenging and deterring men's demand for prostitution and supporting the recovery and sustainable exit of those involved in prostitution. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-strategic-approach-challenging-deterring-mens-demand-prostitution-supporting-recovery-sustainable-exit-those-involved-prostitution/documents/
Scottish Government. (n.d.) Commercial sexual exploitation multi-agency group. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/groups/commercial-sexual-exploitation/
Scottish Government. (2022, July 21). Lived Experience Engagement: The experiences of people who sell or exchange sex and their interaction with support services. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/lived-experience-engagement-experiences-people-sell-exchange-sex-interaction-support-services/pages/1/
Scottish Government. (2022, July 21). Challenging Demand for Prostitution: An International Evidence Review. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/challenging-demand-prostitution-international-evidence-review/
Scottish Government. (2021, June 16). Equally safe - challenging men's demand for prostitution: Scottish Government response. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/equally-safe-challenging-mens-demand-prostitution-working-reduce-harms-associated-prostitution-helping-women-exit-scottish-government-response/
[accessed 30 July 2021]
Scottish Government. (2021, June 16). Challenging Men's Demand for Prostitution - Analysis of public consultation responses. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/equally-safe-challenging-mens-demand-prostitution-analysis-public-consultation-findings/
Scottish Government. (2020, September 11). Equally Safe: A consultation on challenging men's demand for prostitution, working to reduce the harms associated with prostitution and helping women to exit. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/equally-safe-consultation-challenging-mens-demand-prostitution-working-reduce-harms-associated-prostitution-helping-women-exit/
Scottish Government. (2017, February 24). Exploring available knowledge and evidence on prostitution in Scotland via practitioner-based interviews. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/exploring-available-knowledge-evidence-prostitution-scotland-via-practitioner-based-interviews/
Scottish Government. (2017, February 24). Evidence assessment of the impacts of the criminalisation of the purchase of sex: a review. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.scot/publications/evidence-assessment-impacts-criminalisation-purchase-sex-review/
Northern Ireland Executive. (2019, September 17). Assessment of impact criminalisation of purchasing sexual services. Retrieved from
https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/publications/assessment-impact-criminalisation-purchasing-sexual-services
Nordic Model Now!. (2024, January 16). A Reanalysis of the Equality Model in Northern Ireland. Retrieved from
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Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). (2024, August 16). PSNI approach to human trafficking under the microscope. Retrieved from
https://mydup.com/news/psni-approach-to-human-trafficking-under-the-microscope
Government of Ireland. (2025, March 25). Review on the Operation of Section 7A of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/publications/review-on-the-operation-of-section-7a-of-the-criminal-law-sexual-offences-act-1993/
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