§ Mr. C. Osborneasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for living on immoral earnings, for each year since 1948, when that crime ceased to be punishable by corporal punishment; what estimate he has made of the rise or fall in this type of crime since the abolition of this punishment for it; if he will reintroduce corporal punishment 120W for this offence; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerAvailable figures relate only to the years from 1954 onwards. For the years 1954 to 1960 the numbers of persons found guilty of living on the earnings of prostitution (including cases of women exercising control over prostitutes) were 124, 131, 151, 204, 220, 272 and 223 respectively. The abolition of corporal punishment can have had no effect on the prevalence of this type of offence, since corporal punishment had not been ordered for such offences for many years prior to its abolition in 1948 and I have no proposals for reintroducing it.