Dr. Teresa Whitaker:

We cannot give numbers for the simple reason that we are an alliance and have loads of people in contact with us. We do not keep a database of names and addressed or anything like that, simply because of the nature of the activity in which these people are engaged. It is important to note that the exchange of money between a man and woman for sexual services is not illegal in Ireland. Making it illegal for men to buy sex will inevitably affect the women who are selling sex. We are saying that the Government must take a compassionate approach to this very sensitive issue.

The bottom line is to help people and to help society. If we introduce the Swedish model, we will just push it all underground like we have done with so many other things in Irish society. We really believe this is not the way forward. Let us look at Australia and New Zealand. Why is the committee looking at Sweden as a model? Prohibition has never worked in any country. Look at what happened when there was an attempt to prohibit alcohol in the United States. It does not work. The same is true of cigarette smoking. Prohibition does not work; it just drives things underground.

In Sweden, pimping has got worse because now women need a protector in order to have someone between the client and the sex worker. Pimping has increased in Sweden and sex tourism has also increased there. For example, the Swedish Government's 2012 report to the United Nations states:

Annual reports from Swedish social workers who meet buyers and sellers of sex indicate that the number of Swedish men who pay for or give other than a monetary form of compensation for sex is increasing. The increase seems to be due to the purchase of sex when travelling to places where the sale of sexual services is common.

The regime there has not decreased prostitution.