A PLEA to fast track a law making it a crime to pay for sex has been rejected by MSPs.

Holyrood's Justice Committee decided that a new consultation must be held on Labour MSP Rhoda Grant's proposal, despite a consultation on the issue being carried out two years ago.

Ms Grant claimed her Purchase of Sex Bill would reduce the demand for prostitution and build on existing laws. She argued that an earlier attempt to pass legislation meant the issues had already been aired.

She said that her Bill would help make Scotland an "unattractive market for prostitution and therefore other associated serious criminal activities, such as people-trafficking for sexual exploitation, would be disrupted".

A previous attempt for a total ban was introduced by former MSP Trish Godman but it was not adopted as part of the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill.

She wanted to create three new offences on the purchase, advertising and facilitating of sex. Ms Grant told the committee the consultation for Ms Godman's Bill had influenced the new proposal

However, the committee decided her Bill pursued a "more narrow proposal".

In a letter to Ms Grant outlining the reasons for the decision, committee convener Christine Grahame said the existing consultation did not contain the most up-to-date data such as the latest figures indicating trends in the level of prostitution offences nor an analysis of the most recent legislative initiatives to make the case that a Bill was needed.

Under current law, it is possible for a consenting adult aged 18 or over to have sex with another consenting adult in return for payment without an offence being committed. Other laws apply to soliciting and kerb crawling.