§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to hold centrally information in respect of the number of cases of child prostitution that are reported; and if he will make a statement. [38297]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonChild prostitution is neither a separate criminal offence nor a statutory ground for referring a child to a children's hearing and is therefore not recorded as such. Where a child under the age of 16 becomes involved in prostitution, the child is considered more as a victim rather than an offender. The child is invariably referred by the police to the reporter to the children's panel who decides whether there should be a reference to a panel to consider whether compulsory measures of supervision may be appropriate. An adult involvement in the matter would be referred by the police directly to the procurator fiscal. I am satisfied that in these cases we have in place the necessary system of referrals and procedures to ensure that the action which is taken in relation to the child is in the best interests of the child's welfare.