Ms Jacqueline Healy:

We attended a conference on prostitution last month. The presentation by the Swedish police was convincing and its implementation did not seem to be particularly onerous in Sweden. It is a different country and Ireland is examining its resources. There will be work for the police if it wants to take this on board but the National Women's Council of Ireland believes this is an extremely important area in which resources need to be assigned to tackle the problem. It is not just a case of examining prostitution and violence against women, which is an area we encourage the Government to make a priority. It also concerns the involvement of organised crime and gangs, social problems and effects on the wider community. Resources targeted at the area will have a major benefit for women and for society at large.