Leo Varadkar: Existing laws sufficient to stop sex-for-rent
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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he wants to see people being prosecuted for demanding sex for rent and said laws already exist to allow that to happen.
It comes as Opposition TDs and campaigners call for standalone legislation to protect the most vulnerable renters from sexual exploitation.
Mr Varadkar told the Irish Examiner he would be “open” to specifying rent within the current legislation which covers payment for sex, which is already illegal.
“What I’d actually like to see is prosecutions. I spoke to the Attorney General about this only in the past week or so and to [Justice] Minister [Helen] McEntee and the advice that I have from the Attorney General is that this is already an offence - to seek or receive money or another consideration like rent for example (for sex), is already illegal in Ireland,” he said.
“Just for clarity, we could strengthen the law by specifying that rent is one of the things it could be in return for any consideration, to use the legal term, but I don’t think what will really change things is a more specific law."
He said what will really "change things" is prosecutions.
"That’s why I would encourage people to come forward to give the evidence and their story to the gardaí and I’d expect and I’d like to see the gardaí and the DPP bring forward prosecutions.”
Mr Varadkar said he doesn't know how many reports on the matter have been made to the gardaí but that if it helps to get prosecutions by specifying rent, he is “all up for that".
“I don’t know how prevalent it is but no matter how prevalent it is it’s still appalling and it’s really deplorable people trying to take advantage of vulnerable people,” the Taoiseach added.
Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin published legislation on Wednesday that would criminalise a landlord seeking a sex-for-rent arrangement. It would also criminalise the advertising of such offers under the Residential Tenancies Act.
The Bill will be introduced in the Dáil 18 months after the Ban on Sex for Rent Bill 2022 was brought by Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan following an investigation by the Irish Examiner into sex-for-rent practices here.
Despite all-party support, the initial Bill was halted at committee level. Work is ongoing by Ms McEntee on the matter, Mr Varadkar said.