Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014

Lord Spicer Excerpts

Monday 1st February 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

I assure the Lib Dems that if they were to break into song, they would not be prosecuted.

[Lord Spicer (Con)]

If the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, is suggesting that police powers are forcing people to sleep rough on the streets, perhaps it is relevant to ask whether it is not true that there are now 20 times as many hostel places appropriate for people sleeping on the street as there are people sleeping on the street?

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

My noble friend raises an important issue in relation to housing and the need for more effective social housing. The challenge for all of us across the country, not just for central government but for local government as well, is to ensure good-quality, affordable housing for all. We all want to see the eradication of street sleeping.