Call for evidence: Government’s draft Anti-Social Behaviour Bill

The draft Bill will give effect to the policies set out in the Government’s Anti-Social Behaviour White Paper, Putting Victims First (Cm 8367).

Terms of Reference

The inquiry will consider:

• Whether the draft Bill would introduce more effective measures to tackle antisocial behaviour;
• How the proposals will benefit victims of antisocial behaviour;
• If the Bill provides individuals, communities and businesses affected by antisocial behaviour with a more effective long-term solution; 
• Whether the Community Remedy is a proportionate response to antisocial behaviour; and
• How the new measures would affect young people in particular.

Chair's comments

Committee Chairman Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP said:

““The Home Affairs Committee welcomes the opportunity to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of these important proposals and will report its findings to the Government in February.

The tragic case of Fiona Pilkington in Leicestershire demonstrates the terrible impact that anti-social behaviour can have, yet too often police forces and other agencies are slow to recognise and respond to emerging patterns of abuse and victimisation.

I very much welcome the Government’s decision to overhaul the statutory framework for tackling anti-social behaviour. We must ensure that the new Act is more robust than the original ASBO legislation, which has been amended every year since it was passed in 1998.

We will be scrutinising the Government’s forthcoming proposals carefully—particularly the new community remedy—drawing on the expertise and experience of the police, local authorities, housing providers and local communities who have first-hand experience of the problem. The Committee is keen to hear from individuals who have suffered from anti-social behaviour.”

Written evidence is invited from interested parties. It would be helpful if written submissions could be made by Wednesday 9 January 2012 but submissions will still be accepted after this date.

The Home Office has asked the Committee to report by mid-February so that the Bill can be re-drafted for possible inclusion in the 2013–14 legislative programme. The Committee is therefore carrying out this work to a very tight timetable which is largely beyond its control.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Written evidence should if possible be in Word or rich text format—not PDF format—and sent by e-mail to homeaffcom@parliament.uk. The use of colour and expensive-to-print material, e.g. photographs, should be avoided. The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.

Submissions must address the terms of reference. They should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document must include an executive summary. View further guidance on the submission of evidence.

Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere, though previously published work can be referred to in a submission and submitted as supplementary material. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee.

The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.

For data protection purposes, it would be helpful if individuals wishing to submit written evidence send their contact details in a covering letter or e-mail. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The remit of the Home Affairs Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies. 

Further information

Draft Anti-Social Behaviour Bill inquiry page