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.
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 for this Bill: Financial Memorandum.
The Committee's call for views closed on Friday 5 September 2025.
The Committee received 11 submissions to its call for views. Read the submissions on Citizen Space.
The Committee agreed to forward the submissions to the Criminal Justice Committee as part of that Committee's consideration of the Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill and take no further action.