Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

The Senator has certainly kept her political promise. Here we are again this evening. The amendment I have moved on behalf of the Government is quite expansive and thorough. If it is acted upon, it will bring a satisfactory solution to this issue. I wish to focus on a part of it that was referred to briefly by Senator Zappone. It is probably the most substantial change to the background to last October's debate, in the context of where we are this afternoon. I refer to the report of the UNAIDS Advisory Group on HIV and Sex Work, which was published in December 2011, subsequent to the debate I have mentioned. When documents are presented before us, we sometimes wish they had not been. We might prefer to ignore them because they raise uncomfortable and inconvenient truths. In the context of the subject we are now discussing - the issue of prostitution - it appears that the UN is advising that states should consider the removal of criminal penalties relating to the purchase and sale of sex and instead establish legal and policy environments that are conducive to universal access to HIV services for sex workers. Senator Zappone has correctly pointed out that this would certainly apply to some of the Third World and developing countries. Can we say with certainty it does not apply to us in western Europe? I would be interested in hearing the Minister's response to that. Trying to solve one problem while creating another difficulty is not what we should be about. It is not what the Minister is about. We must hear the Minister's view on this because the report adds a slightly different perspective to the current one and has an impact on how we proceed. I am sure, however, of the Government's commitment to dealing with this issue.

One side of the debate was informed by the UN report and another side concerned the desire to amplify the pressure for action. There have been more television documentaries and investigations into the sex industry. Perhaps we did not need the latter and perhaps they just presented to us what we already know. The documentaries painted a very frightening picture of how the industry is affecting so many lives in this country. Those who did not fully recognise the scale of the challenge and scandal, and the scale of the Minister's difficulty in dealing with these, would have been very much informed by those programmes.

We cannot rest on our laurels or say we will wait another six months. I cannot say to my Independent colleagues that I will see them again in six months, at which time we will certainly have all the problems solved. We are giving a very strong commitment in our amendment that the Government is taking the matter absolutely seriously and intends to act. It must act methodically and take into account all the evidence, including that gleaned from a full debate on the new suggestions, concerns and fears of the United Nations.

The bottom line is that the shocking problem requires action, not just talk, from the Government. It requires legislative change, not just kind words from the Government. We expect action from the Minister in the very near future. The consultation period and the consultative programme must result in progress, and dialogue must be open and action must follow. I look forward to the Minister's comments.

I advocate the acceptance of amendment No. 1. I hope that, once again, the House can unite in the sure knowledge that the Government intends to go beyond words and engage in action at the earliest possible opportunity. This is what all our motions are about. It would be a strong, positive and good signal from this House if we did not just lead the debate on the matter but also inspired the Government to act. We look forward to early action from it in that regard.