Mr. Fergus Healy:

The provision in section 10 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 and the definition of that provision is quite clear. The onus is to prove the person involved in this act was aiding and abetting as well as knowingly living off the earnings of prostitution. Hence the case the Garda Síochána present must meet a threshold before the DPP makes a decision with regard to whether a prosecution should be initiated and as members can see the level of evidence that needs to be gathered is quite stringent. Perhaps that might account for the low level of prosecutions in this area but the sophisticated nature of the proof that is required to deal with it can add to the situation.