Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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542. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to detail the groups and stakeholders which were consulted as part of the review of the Sexual Offences Act 2017; whether the Department consulted active sex workers as part of said review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15253/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government’s position is that prostitution is inherently exploitative of vulnerable people, mainly women and girls, and that many people are forced into prostitution through trafficking, drug addiction, homelessness and poverty.

This Review of the Operation of section 7A of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 has been much anticipated by stakeholders in the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) sector and others.

The Review’s recommendations will be considered and actions identified that can be progressed in consultation with relevant stakeholders; including with An Garda Síochána in respect of enforcement.

The consultation process involved engaging with a broad range of organisations and people including the general public, civil society organisations, NGOs, government agencies, and those who engage in sexual activity for payment.

The methodology was conducted in three phases: phase one was a public consultation survey; phase two was a public consultation with written submissions and phase three was a dialogue consultation process.

For phase one, a total of 1,283 responses were received to the online survey. Some 73pc of respondents identified as ‘An interested member of the public’, 6pc identified as working in the sale of sex, and the remaining respondents were comprised of NGOs, representative groups and those who did not identify themselves.

For phase two, a total of 199 submissions were received - 56 of those were from organisations and 143 were made by individuals in their personal capacity. The full list of the 56 organisations who made a submission is available in the Review report.

For the third phase interviews were conducted with statutory agencies including An Garda Síochána, the HSE, the Office of The Director of Public Prosecutions, the Probation Service and Tusla. Interviews and forum groups were also held with civil society and advocacy groups, individuals involved in the sale of sex, legal practitioners and academics.

As noted, the inclusion of those who engage in sexual activity for payment in the review process was an important element of its design.

This included, in the public consultation survey, 75 people who self-identified as a sex worker/person working in the sale of sex, 23 in the written submissions phase, and 30 who took part in the dialogue stage. Some participated in a number of stages.

The full report is available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/ada08-review-on-the-operation-of-section-7a-of-the-criminal-law-sexual-offences-act-1993/