Justice minister will not oppose bill to ban 'sex for rent' exploitation

Labour's further and higher education spokeswoman Laura Harmon speaking to media at Leinster House with party colleagues Ged Nash, Conor Sheehan, Marie Sherlock. Senator Harmon's bill seeks to clamp down on predators taking advantage of vulnerable people seeking a place to live. File picture: Sasko Lazarov/Rolling News

The justice minister will not oppose a new bill which seeks to outlaw the advertising of sex for rent arrangements but says he has suggestions to make on it.

Jim O’Callaghan said he would not oppose Labour’s Prohibition of Advertising or Importuning Sex for Rent Bill 2025, introduced by Senator Laura Harmon, and which is due to be debated at second stage in the Seanad on Wednesday.

It proposes a fine of up to €50,000 for advertising sex for rent arrangements, and comes as discussions continue between the Department of Justice and the office of the Attorney General on how to tackle the area. 

In January 2022, following an investigation by the Irish Examiner, the then government pledged to tackle the issue with urgency.

When asked why it had taken so long to address the issue, Mr O’Callaghan said the current government was only formed in January, and that “legislation takes time to produce”.

The 'Irish Examiner' has been pursuing the sex-for-rent scandal since January 2022, including a number of lapsed attempts to introduce legislation.

He welcomed Labour’s bill, but said: “If you look at the bill itself, it’s in respect of advertisements. It just relates to advertisements — it seeks to prohibit advertisements which state 'that I will provide you with accommodation if you provide me with sexual services'. 

"The likelihood of that happening, I would’ve thought, is highly remote. But still, I am not going to oppose it. 

It’s not acceptable that people would seek to secure sexual services in respect of the provision of accommodation. 

"I would’ve thought it’s already a criminal offence, but I won’t be opposing it [the bill] and I will be making further comments on it when it comes before the Seanad.” 

Currently, a number of such offers are published online, including one offering “rent negotiation depending what can be offered” in Dublin.

Ms Harmon told the Irish Examiner that her main priority is to ensure that legislation is put in place “to clamp down on these predators that are taking advantage of vulnerable people in our rental sector and I want to work cross-party to ensure that this happens.” 

The bill is the third attempt by an opposition party to bring in legislation to tackle sex for rent arrangements.

The Ban on Sex for Rent Bill 2022 introduced by Social Democrats’s Cian O’Callaghan was rejected at pre-legislative scrutiny stage by the Justice Committee.

Meanwhile, a subsequent bill from Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin — the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (Sex for Rent) Bill 2023 — lapsed with the last Dáil.

Mr Ó Broin committed on Friday to supporting Ms Harmon’s legislation and said: “We are very keen that this issue is legislated for in this Dáil term. 

We will work with any other Dáil party in opposition or government to get this matter across the line. 

"The issue has not gone away. 

"It is disappointing that there has been no action by the previous government but the new government and minister has an opportunity to tackle this and we would urge him to do it at the soonest possible opportunity.”