Clause 29 - Dispersal of groups and removal of persons under 16 to their place of residence
Anti-social Behaviour Bill
4:45 pm
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
I am grateful to the Minister for his remarks and for his clarification that my concern about car parks is unfounded and that they are covered by the legislation. I also appreciate his undertaking to go away and think about it. However, I stress that there is an issue here that needs to be addressed. He originally described the Government's aim as allowing people to use public places, unaffected by this sort of behaviour. There is no doubt that people in public places can be affected by what happens in private spaces. We obviously do not want to affect things such as garden parties. We all know where the line is drawn. I was trying to address the issue of young people who, as we all know, can snub the law by doing something like hopping over a garden fence and affecting those in a public place who are trying to enjoy whatever they are doing. I appreciate the Minister's point.
The hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole mentioned travellers. She may notice that I have tabled a new clause relating to travellers, which we will discuss later in our consideration of the Bill. A group of youths regularly gathered on the forecourt of an office block on a high street in my constituency. They were not being antisocial by any definition, although they were on a private forecourt and the office block and forecourt happened to be only 10 ft from the high street. They would not be caught by this provision because they were on private property. The owner was relaxed about them being there. They were off the street on his forecourt but that did not go down well with the rest of the community. That is an example of behaviour affecting people going about their daily business in a public place and the activity coming from a private place.
I am grateful for the Minister's undertaking to take that message on board and in the spirit of that good will I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.