Cathie Jamieson: "Vulnerable children"

Scotland's Education Minister Cathie Jamieson announced the move in response to research conducted by the Sunday Herald newspaper which suggested that there were at least 300 children actively involved in prostitution north of the border.

The paper said that as many as 45 of those worked in Glasgow's sex industry.

Ms Jamieson said: "Our services cannot fail the vulnerable children who rely on them most.

"Prostitution demeans everyone involved - and child prostitution is nothing less than a scandal. These children are victims and we must provide them with the support they need.

"We have agreed with chairs of child protection committees across Scotland that we will prepare guidance on effective intervention and support for children abused through prostitution and a working group will be set up to take this work forward.

Child protection

"Much has been done to improve child protection in recent years, including the major review already under way and due to report next summer."

That multi-disciplinary review of child protection was announced in March and is due to report next June.

Ms Jamieson added: "I've spent much of my life working with children and young people. I now feel that as minister for education and young people I am in a position to make a real difference to their lives."

The executive has also pledged to establish a children's commissioner through a Bill which is currently going through the Scottish Parliament.

Ministers are now expected to back a recommendation from Holyrood's education committee that the commissioner be give powers to consult abused children on an informal level to help fight child prostitution.

Official figures from the Scottish Executive show that there were 2,050 young people on child protection registers in Scotland last year.