Clause 18
4:15 pm
Evan Harris (Oxford West and Abingdon, Liberal Democrat)
I have nothing to say about the amendment but, to save time, I thought that I might ask my one question about the clause now. It will not be a surprise to the Minister to know that my concern about clamping down on soliciting in the way described arises from the fact that the act of soliciting will be likely to take place in more secluded areas further away from the police. In my view and the view of sex workers, those who represent them and the Safety First coalition, that will create more dangers than the status quo. Are the Government aware of the impact of pushing soliciting and loitering further into the shadows, given the problem with the small minority of potentially violent punters who would not object to that deepening darkness around the action of soliciting?
I accept that soliciting can be a nuisance in residential areas, but I am putting the other side of the argument. My other problem is that, wherever the action takes place and if soliciting is clamped down on, negotiations have to take place extremely quickly. The prostitute cannot hang around and engage in a lengthy discussion through a car window about how, what, where and who, but essentially has to jump in furtively. She will therefore be unable to take the protective measures and the risk assessment—strange term though that may be—that she otherwise would. That is what prostitutes are telling me and, I suspect, other members of the Committee. It is not clear that the Government have recognised such problems, in the absence of proper consultation on this and other clauses.
In the measures on kerb crawling, the clause could have side effects that will endanger women. I do not for one moment fail to recognise that kerb crawling is a nuisance in public areas and that a balance must be struck, but I need reassurance from the Government that they have considered such matters. If there is evidence that street prostitutes will come to more harm as a result of the measure, I hope that the Government will review whether it is wise to bring in such a law rather than enable the police to see more clearly what is going on and prostitutes to have the protection of each other in a lit—not dark—area.