As this motion is using historical data, we may not have the record of the original ordering, in which case signatories are listed alphabetically.
That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to the equalisation of the age of consent at 16 years; further welcomes that Government's acceptance of the provision that the underage victim, of an unlawful consensual sexual act committed with an older man should no longer be criminalised; notes that this measure equalises that provision between heterosexuals and homosexuals since under age girls cannot be charged with an offence; believes that homosexual men accused of age of consent offences should have recourse to the same defences in law as heterosexual men; notes that a heterosexual man under the age of 24 years who has not previously been charged with a similar offence, is able to offer as defence that he believed the female to be over 16 years and that he had reasonable cause for that belief; notes that the Government has introduced a similar defence of 'reasonable belief for mistake as to age' in its abuse of trust measures; notes that, except in Scottish law, such a defence is not available to homosexual men charged with age of consent offences; notes that without such a defence homosexual men are uniquely vulnerable to entrapment and blackmail; further notes that without recourse to the same defence as heterosexuals, homosexuals will be much more likely that heterosexuals to be unfairly convicted to an offence; and believes that natural justice requires the Government to introduce such a provision in the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill.