Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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22. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 34 of 6 December 2022, the status of the independent review of part IV of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017; when the review will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7230/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will know, a key purpose of the 2017 Sexual Offences Act was to provide additional protection to persons involved in prostitution, especially vulnerable persons and victims of human trafficking.

It allows those engaged in prostitution to provide information to Gardaí, for instance if they were subjected to violence by clients, without fear of prosecution for selling sexual services.

Section 27 of the Act provides for a review of Part 4 and my Department contracted an independent contractor to undertake this review.

In the context of the goal of the legislation, which is to protect vulnerable persons, the review will include consideration of whether further measures are needed to strengthen protection for persons who engage in sexual activity for payment.

It is my understanding that the independent report has not yet been finalised and I have asked my officials to engage with the study lead to ascertain when it will be made available, bearing in mind the need to respect the independence of the review.

Once received, any recommendations made in the report will be considered as a priority.