Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The legislation, as the Deputy has said, has made significant changes. It was introduced to provide additional protection for people involved in prostitution. What we have seen in other jurisdictions is that the decriminalisation of brothel-keeping, which the Deputy and others have raised, actually creates a greater loophole that allows the likes of criminal gangs and others to profit but also to continue the abuse, particularly of women.

I fully agree with the Deputy that it is vital to finish the report as quickly as possible and get all the information. There has been considerable engagement with the Garda and those responsible for implementing the law as it stands. There are already ways in which we can improve and perhaps change the law to allow the authorities to do their job better and ensure those who procure women for sex are the ones prosecuted. They are the ones responsible for bedding up the brothels and many of them work internationally, not just at local level.

See this speech in context