Squatting (Hansard, 17 June 1992)

§ Mr. Jack

[holding answer 16 June 1992]: The Government are committed to strengthening the law against squatting and last year a consultation paper was published setting out various proposals. The responses to 523W this exercise raised a number of issues which require and are receiving careful consideration. It is not possible at this stage to say when legislative proposals will be brought forward. The Government wish to ensure that any new measure should be fair, easy to administer and be effective.

In all, we received 216 responses to the consultation paper. Analysis of the results shows that 133 responses—62 per cent.—were in favour of strengthening the law, 58–27 per cent.—were opposed, and 25–11 per cent.—came to no clear conclusion. However, those respondents opposed to strengthening the law can generally be taken to have supported option A—leaving the criminal law unchanged; six respondents favoured option B—a limited extension of the law to certain types of squatting; 17 favoured option C—extending the criminal law to all squatting in residential premises; and 56 supported option D—a general extension of the criminal law to cover squatting in any premises.

Eighty four of the responses were from private individuals or companies, and we also received responses from the following public bodies, local authorities and organisation:

The Association of District Councils
The Association of Metropolitan Authorities
The London Boroughs Association
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
The London Borough of Brent
The London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Hackney
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Newham Borough Council
Tower Hamlets Borough Council
Wandsworth Borough Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council
City of Bristol
City of Carlisle
Chester City Council
Exeter City Council
Swansea City Council
Cheshire County Council
Cumbria County Council
Gwent County Council
Oxfordshire County Council
Ashford Borough Council
Bournemouth Borough Council
Borough of Broxborne
Borough of Crewe and Nantwich
Dacorum Borough Council
Darlington Borough Council
Daventry Borough Council
Gillingham Borough Council
Guildford Borough Council
Hastings Borough Council
Borough of Luton
Medina Borough Council
Newport Borough Council
Scarborough Borough Council
Spelthorne Borough Council
Test Valley Borough Council
Wallingford Borough Council
Bridgenorth District Council
Carrick District Council
Fenland District Council
Hinkley and Bosworth District Council
Mid-Bedfordshire District Council
North Dorset District Council
North Kesteven District Council
North Norfolk District Council
North West Leicestershire District Council
Penwith District Council
Purbeck District Council
Rother District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council

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Vale of the White Horse District Council
Anstey Parish Council
Bagworth Parish Council
Burbage Parish Council
Carton Parish Council
Growby Parish Council
Nailstone Parish Council
Shelter
Squatters Action for Secure Homes (SQUASH)
Homeless Occupiers Project
Law Centres Federation
South Manchester Law Centre
Salford Law Centre
National Federation of Housing Associations
SHAC (The London Housing Aid Centre)
Housing Centre Trust
CHAS Housing Aid Centre (Huddersfield)
Hyson Green Squatters Support Group
Waterloo Action Centre
Blackwater Valley Homeless Forum
London Private Tenants Workers Group
Direct Action Group Housing
Housing Advice Response Unit
Eastern Housing Advice Group
Teenage Information Network
Housing Law Practitioners Association
Self-Help Community Housing Association Ltd. (Bristol).
National Housing Law Service
Action on Drugs, HIV and Homelessness
Lambeth Self Help Housing Association Ltd.
Lifeshare (Manchester)
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Department of Education and Science
Department of Trade and Industry
The Crown Estate
The Lord Chancellor's Department
The Crown Prosecution Service
The Legal Secretariat to the Law Offices
The Magistrates' Association
The Association of Chief Police Officers
The Metropolitan Police
The Police Superintendents Association of England and Wales
Office of the High Sheriff of the Counties of Greater London and Surrey
The Justices' Clerks' Society
The General Council of the Bar
The Chief Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate
The Law Society
Liberty
Justice
The Social and Liberal Democratic Lawyers Association
The Institute of Legal Executives
The National Association of Estate Agents
The Property Managers Association
The Confederation of British Industry
The British Property Federation
The Property Advisory Group
The County Landowners Association
The National Trust
The Church Commissioners
The Small Landlords Association
The British Retail Consortium
The Institute for Housing
The Council of Mortgage Lenders
The Institute of Rent Officers
The Association of Tenancy Relations Officers
The Newspaper Society
The Association of British Insurers
The Oxford Street Association
The Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
South London Women's Centre
Bournemouth Chamber of Commerce and Trade
Newham Chamber of Commerce
East Anglian Regional Health Authority

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Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom
National Union of Students
Middlesex Polytechnic Students Union

In addition, one petition was received from the New Horizon youth centre containing 332 signatures opposing any change in the law.