Crime and Disorder Bill — Reduction of Age of Consent for Homosexual Acts to 16 — 22 Jun 1998

The majority of MPs voted to reduce the age of consent for homosexual acts from eighteen to sixteen bringing equality to the the law affecting heterosexual and homosexual acts.

The majority of MPs voted to insert a new clause into the Crime and Disorder Bill^[1] which read:^[2]

• In Sexual Offences Act 1956,^[3] substitute "sixteen" for the word "eighteen".
• In Sexual Offences Act 1967,^[4] substitute "sixteen" for the word "eighteen".
• In Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995,^[5] substitute "sixteen" for the word "eighteen".
• In Homosexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 1982 (homosexual acts in private), substitute "18" with "17".

The last part was to equalize the age of consent between homosexual and heterosexual acts which at the time was set at 17 in Northern Ireland.

This clause did not survive into the Crime and Disorder Act 1998,^[6] and finally appeared in Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000.

• [1] Crime and Disorder Bill, House of Lords, 1 April 1998
• [2] Ann Keen MP, House of Commons, 22 June 1998
• [3] Sexual Offences Act 1956, Section 12, buggery
• [4] Sexual Offences Act 1967, Section 1, amendment of law relating to homosexual acts in private
• [5] Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, Section 13, homosexual offences
• [6] Crime and Disorder Act 1998, OPSI

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