Page 5031 - Week 16 - Wednesday, 27 November 1991
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Mr Moore: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Standing order 213 states:
A document quoted from by a Member, may be ordered by the Assembly to be presented; the order may be made ... immediately upon the conclusion of the speech.
Now that Dr Kinloch has finished his speech, I would ask the Assembly to order him to table the two letters and to have them incorporated in Hansard.
Dr Kinloch: I would be very happy indeed to do that and I thank Mr Moore - - -
MR SPEAKER: Dr Kinloch, you do not have the floor.
Mr Moore: I believe that it is appropriate to seek leave to move that they be incorporated in Hansard.
MR SPEAKER: You do not have to seek leave; you just have to move the motion.
Mr Moore: I move that they be incorporated in Hansard.
MR SPEAKER: Move that they be tabled, then we will look at them and see whether they can be incorporated in Hansard.
Motion (by Mr Moore) agreed to:
That the documents quoted from by Dr Kinloch be tabled and, with the exception of the submission from Professor Byrne, be incorporated in Hansard.
Documents incorporated at appendix 4.
MS MAHER (10.50): As others have said before me, prostitution is one of the oldest forms of employment, and I do not think it is going to disappear. Therefore, I think we need to protect everyone involved in the industry and those who do not want to be involved in the industry. It is also the only sexual activity between consenting adults in private which remains criminal. As the law currently stands, it makes criminals of prostitutes while the client gets off scot-free. It has been said that decriminalisation of prostitution will lead to an increase in this activity. However, the level of prostitution has always been determined by demand.
Mr Speaker, attempts to enforce the current law are a waste of valuable police resources. Mr Collaery has already expanded on this unsatisfactory situation. Escort agencies, because of the fact that they are a phone service and those involved meet in agreed places, are very difficult to control. This piece of legislation will decriminalise prostitution, putting in place legal requirements and protections which are already, to some degree, being enforced through self-regulation within the industry.
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