Persistent kerb-crawlers could be disqualified from driving or have their cars confiscated, ministers said yesterday.
The Scottish Executive said it was considering the options for repeat offenders, though disqualification would require Westminster legislation as driver licensing is a reserved issue.
By floating the ideas, ministers tried to put a brave face on what would otherwise have been a humiliating day at Holyrood as they were forced to rewrite a deeply flawed bill on prostitution.
Substantial changes were also conceded on a second much-criticised bill - on background checks for those working with children and vulnerable adults.
The Prostitution (Public Places) (Scotland) Bill was savaged by MSPs after it emerged it would not criminalise kerb-crawling.
Ministers plan to amend it.
The bill's aim is to make it an offence to buy sex as well as to solicit, criminalising men and women for the first time.
It will be an offence to loiter for the purposes of obtaining sexual services - on foot or in private cars - with offenders fined up to £1000.
Other sanctions, such as disqualification and car seizures under the Proceeds of Crime Act, will be considered later.
In light of discontent among Liberal Democrat MSPs, Finance Minister Tom McCabe agreed management zones for prostitution should not be banned. Only Aberdeen has such a zone.
Margo MacDonald, Independent MSP for Lothians, said MSPs were deluded if they thought the bill would reduce demand for prostitution. Instead of being arranged on the streets it would simply be done on the internet or by mobile phone, she said.
MSPs of all parties called for more addiction services to help get women out of prostitution.
Earlier, MSPs gave a guarded welcome to revisions to the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill, designed to tighten up background checks on those working with children and vulnerable adults, after the Soham murders. Up to one million Scots could be affected.
The bill raised fears of huge bills for charities and voluntary groups as well as worries that volunteers will be deterred from helping in case ancient misdemeanors come to light.
It has been praised for ending the problem of people having to undergo multiple Disclosure Scotland checks when they change job by creating a portable "passport" check.
Ministers yesterday agreed to drop part of the bill dealing with sharing information between agencies and agreed to consult further retrospective checks on people in post.
Green MSPs echoed calls from charities for the bill to be delayed pending further work.
MSPs agreed to the general principles of the prostitution bill by 108 votes to one with 10 abstentions. The vulnerable groups bill passed its first parliamentary stage unanimously without a vote.
Later, First Minister Jack McConnell said he was "pretty angry" at being forced to drop the information sharing provisions in the latter bill and said Labour's manifesto would include a pledge to force bodies to share data.
THE PROPOSALS
Prostitution (Public Places) (Scotland) Bill ORIGINAL: Soliciting offence to be repealed. Purchasers and sellers of sex to be punished equally if they cause alarm, offence or a nuisance. Useless at tackling kerb-crawlers. REVISED: Soliciting offence retained. Purchasers of sex to be punished if they loiter for the purposes of prostitution. This will apply to those on foot and kerb-crawlers. References to causing alarm, offence and nuisance dropped.
Protection of vulnerable groups (Scotland) Bill ORIGINAL: Allowed sharing of sensitive information between official agencies and other bodies. Employers and voluntary groups to carry out retrospective background checks on staff and volunteers to see if they are suitable to work with children or vulnerable adults. Fear checks will deter volunteers. REVISED: Information sharing dropped in case vulnerable people with sex and drug problems deterred from reporting them. To be revisited. Retrospective checking to be subject of yet more consultation once the bill is passed. Introduction could take five years. Promise by ministers to work sympathetically with voluntary sector.
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