---

Policing and Crime Bill

The noble Baroness, Lady Miller, who introduced the amendment, and the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, have spoken with reasonableness and concern for the children involved. So has the noble Earl, Lord Onslow. "Suffer little children", he said. There may be a paradox, in that to continue to bring the child into the criminal system sounds terrible, but it may result in benefits. There is not a great deal of advantage in pretending something that is not. The child concerned, who is loitering for prostitution, is a child prostitute—although you may wish to label it something else. There may be advantages in continuing with the system so that help shall be given and the child shall be taken away from prostitution, but I am not sure that the amendment helps.