Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with refence to her Department's Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, published on 27 March 2023, whether the Government plans to issue guidance to police forces on the treatment of rough sleepers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping, and published their cross Government strategy, Ending Rough Sleeping for good, on 3 September 2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ending-rough-sleeping-for-good .
This strategy sets out the work that is underway, including the joint commitment of both the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ensure “everyone experiencing rough sleeping to have an appropriate and timely offer of support, tailored to their needs and the services they are eligible for, and that all agencies have the tools they need to unlock this support.”
The Strategy is backed by vital funding of £2 billion over three years.
Police officers can reference the ASB toolkit, with specific pages on Rough Sleeping which is produced by the National Police Chiefs Council. The Government are considering what further guidance is required alongside work on the repeal and replacement of the Vagrancy Act.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential implications of his Department's Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, published on 27 March 2023, on police treatment of rough sleepers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has been clear that it does not want to criminalise rough sleeping and is working with across Departments to repeal and replace the Vagrancy Act 1824 as outlined within the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan. The implications of the replacement Vagrancy Act measures are being taken into account through consideration of the responses to the public consultation run by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities last year, and our wider stakeholder engagement.
Monitoring and evaluation of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan will be important in understanding whether we are delivering the action plan effectively and that it is achieving the intended outcomes and impacts in tackling ASB across a range of funded measures.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of reports that 1,173 people have been arrested in England and Wales since 2021 under the Vagrancy Act 1824.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect data on the number of people arrested under the Vagrancy Act.
The Government is fully committed to repealing and replacing the antiquated Vagrancy Act which makes begging and some forms of rough sleeping a criminal offence.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Anti-social behaviour action plan, published on 27 March 2023, whether her Department plans to take steps to avoid the criminalisation of rough sleeping.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The Government is clear that no one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live. We have already embarked on a strategy to end rough sleeping with a focus on prevention and multi-agency support for vulnerable individuals, backed by £2 billion over three years.
However, there are some instances of behaviour by those begging or sleeping rough that can cause harm or distress to the individuals and the wider public. Where this happens the Government wants to ensure police forces and local authorities are given the tools to direct vulnerable individuals into support where appropriate and help the public feel safe.
We will continue to engage with stakeholders on these complex issues, before separate legislation is brought forward at the earliest parliamentary opportunity.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, published on 27 March 2023, what guidance her Department plans to publish on the definition of (a) nuisance and (b) blight caused by homeless people.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are carefully considering a statutory definition and will be using existing definitions where possible and appropriate.
Further details will be set out in legislation and accompanying guidance at the earliest opportunity, following further engagement with stakeholders.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the sale of razors and pencil sharpeners in shops to minors on their subsequent use for self-harm or violent purposes.
Answered by Sarah Dines
Section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, created the offence of selling any knife, knife blade, razor blade, axe or any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person, to a person under the age of 18. Pencil sharpeners would not usually fall under the definition of the age restricted items.
When the legislation was debated in parliament, it was considered whether any exemptions should apply. The Government’s approach was to balance the need for young people to have access to certain small, bladed items, for example disposable razor blade cartridges, against the intended aim of reducing knife crime. The legislation reflects this approach and disposable razor cartridges are exempt from the age restriction by way of s2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Exemption) Order 1996.
The Home Office does not hold figures on the use of pencil sharpener blades or razor blades for use in self-harm or for violent purposes.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Anti-social behaviour action plan, published on 27 March 2023, whether her Department plans to take steps to help ensure police officers are trained in referring rough sleepers deemed to be in breach of the law to appropriate support services.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The Government is clear that no one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live. We have already embarked on a strategy to end rough sleeping with a focus on prevention and multi-agency support for vulnerable individuals, backed by £2 billion over three years.
However, there are some instances of behaviour by those begging or sleeping rough that can cause harm or distress to the individuals and the wider public. Where this happens the Government wants to ensure police forces and local authorities are given the tools to direct vulnerable individuals into support where appropriate and help the public feel safe.
We will continue to engage with stakeholders on these complex issues, before separate legislation is brought forward at the earliest parliamentary opportunity.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were staying in accommodation in (a) the North West and (b) the South East of England, excluding London, as of 23 November 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 25 August 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released later this month.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what asylum accommodation placements were procured from 23 September 2022 to 23 November 2022, broken down by local authority area.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office and its accommodation providers are working closely with Local Authorities across the UK to secure the additional accommodation required to meet our statutory duties toward asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Since 13 April 2022, all Local Authority areas in England, Scotland and Wales are expected to participate in a new system of full dispersal accommodation. This Full Dispersal model, announced on 13 April 2022 is supported by £21million of grant funding to ensure eligible Local Authorities can provide wraparound support locally. Local authorities will also receive £3,500 for each new dispersal accommodation bed space in the 22/23 financial year.
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 25 August 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released later this month.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals have been charged in relation to offences under the Vagrancy Act 1824 between 1 January and 23 November 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not held by the Home Office.
The Ministry of Justice publish information on the outcomes of prosecutions by offence, which can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-june-2022