§ Sir Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 9 January 2002,Official Report, columns 893–95W, if he will make a statement explaining the nature of the public policy limitations which will enable the UK to prevent Polish, Czech and Slovak nationals establishing themselves as self-employed prostitutes in the UK despite the EU Court of Justice decision 268/99 published on 11 December. [27504]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 16 January 2002]: The European Union Court of Justice decision 268/99 ruled that a member state is entitled to rely on the public policy 464W limitation aspect of the Association agreements where it adopts measures designed to combat prostitution carried out by its own nationals.
The United Kingdom adopts a number of measures designed to combat prostitution. In particular, soliciting is an offence. Should a Polish, Czech or Slovak national seek to enter the United Kingdom in order to establish themselves as a self-employed prostitute they would, in order to conduct that business successfully, have to engage in an illegal activity. Therefore, the United Kingdom would be within its rights to refuse such an application on public policy grounds.