Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Contact

Joanne McNaughton

(Clerk for the Committee)

Finance and Public Administration Committee

0131 348 5000

fpa.committee@parliament.scot

Overview

About the Bill

The Bill creates a new offence of paying for sexual acts.

The Bill also repeals the existing offence under section 46 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 of soliciting and importuning by prostitutes. People who have been convicted of this offence in the past would have their convictions quashed. 

Additionally, Scottish Ministers will need to ensure that a person who is, or has been, in prostitution is provided with help and support. That may include accommodation, financial assistance, healthcare or legal advice and representation. 

Current Status of the Bill

This Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament by Ash Regan MSP on 20 May 2025.

Read and find out more about the Bill:

Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill

Stage 1

The Criminal Justice Committee has been designated as the lead Committee for the Bill. A separate call for views on the Bill’s policy provisions has been issued by the lead Committee and published on this consultation platform.

Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill Call for Views

Financial Memorandum

As with all Bills, the Finance and Public Administration Committee invites written evidence on the estimated financial implications of the Bill as set out in its accompanying Financial Memorandum (FM).

Read the FM published alongside this Bill (PDF)

Making a Submission

Before making a submission, please read our Privacy Notice about submitting your views to a Committee. This tells you about how we process personal data.

Please note that in most cases your submission will be published on the Scottish Parliament's website and may be quoted in the Committee's report or in Committee meetings (which are public and broadcast).

Questions in this call for views Questions in this call for views

Did you take part in any consultation exercise preceding the Bill and, if so, did you comment on the financial assumptions made?
If applicable, do you believe your comments on the financial assumptions have been accurately reflected in the FM?
Did you have sufficient time to contribute to the consultation exercise?
If the Bill has any financial implications for you or your organisation, do you believe that they have been accurately reflected in the FM? If not, please provide details.
Do you consider that the estimated costs and savings set out in the FM are reasonable and accurate?
If applicable, are you content that your organisation can meet any financial costs that it might incur as a result of the Bill? If not, how do you think these costs should be met?
Does the FM accurately reflect the margins of uncertainty associated with the Bill’s estimated costs and with the timescales over which they would be expected to arise?

The deadline to submit your views is Friday 5 September 2025.

We welcome written views in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language. Due to the time required to process and analyse evidence, late submissions will only be accepted with the agreement of the Committee Clerk.

Submit your views

Click here to complete the submission form