Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards she plans to put in place to ensure that the red-light district pilot scheme in Leeds does not encourage any increase in the levels of (a) pimping, (b) soliciting for sex, (c) kerb crawling or (d) brothel-keeping; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley

We are committed to tackling the harm and exploitation that can be associated with prostitution, and believe that people who want to leave prostitution should be given every opportunity to escape it. Prostitution is a complex issue, which can impact on individuals and communities in many different ways, and we are clear that local areas and police forces are in the best position to identify and respond to issues around prostitution in their area. Police forces will be assisted in doing so by the National Policing Lead’s refreshed Policing Sex Work Strategy, due to be published this month, which will stress the priority of the public protection duty that the police have in relation to the safety of those involved in prostitution.