Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help reduce demand for prostitution.

The Government is committed to tackling the harm and exploitation that can be associated with prostitution, and believes that people who want to leave prostitution should be given every opportunity to find routes out.

Protecting those involved in prostitution is a strand of our wider work to eradicate violence against women and girls, and we regularly meet with charities, welfare organisations and academics to discuss current issues related to prostitution and sex work.

The Government has provided over £2m to organisations supporting sex workers, including £650,000 from the Violence Against Women and Girls Service Transformation Fund to Merseyside PCC, to provide a victim-focused service for sex workers who are victims, or at risk of sexual or domestic violence and abuse, exploitation or human trafficking.

As set out in the response to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the Government recognises the need for research into the nature and prevalence of prostitution in England and Wales. The Home Office has provided £150,000 to fund this research, which will be carried out by the University of Bristol, and will help inform future policy.