The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act was enacted in 2017, ostensibly to give better protection to sex workers and victims of human trafficking. To ensure that protection became a reality, a statutory obligation to carry out a review was included in the Act. That obligation came into effect in March 2020, three years after the Act’s enactment, yet here we are in 2023 some three and a half years later and there is no sign of the review. I understand there were difficulties, but the independent expert was appointed in July 2020. We are three and a half years on. Actually, it is almost that.

There is no need to exaggerate because the facts are so damning in themselves. Where is the review? Has the person been appointed? When will the review be completed, given that we are seriously interested in protecting women?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which I know is of importance to her. I previously outlined complications whereby we had to take on a new person to conduct the review. That person is now not finishing the review. A body of work has been done. The competition has closed now and I hope to appoint a new person to finalise the review in the coming weeks. A body of work has been done already and the new person will not be starting from scratch. The competition has closed, meaning I will be in a position to appoint the new person quite soon.