Elisabeth Scharfenberg, a member of the German parliament, said local authorities could pay for sex workers, who are increasingly being asked to work in the country’s care homes.

Sex work, while legal in Germany, is regulated by a strict legislative framework.

Ms Scharfenberg said: “I can imagine financing of sexual assistance. The council could advise locally and grant subsidies.”

A similar allowance is available in the Netherlands.

The Green Party, the fourth largest in the German parliament, has been part of federal coalitions twice in the past two decades.