Gavin Shuker: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there were under section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date.

The Solicitor-General (Oliver Heald): Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 created a new offence under section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 of paying for the sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force, threats, coercion or deception. Section 53A came into effect on 1 April 2010. Records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. There is no indication of the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. In 2011, 16 such offences were prosecuted, and in 2012, (to date) eight offences have been prosecuted.