Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) what estimate he has made of the number of public spaces protection orders used by local authorities; and (b) what purpose those protection orders were issued.

The Government introduced Public Spaces Protection Orders through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to enable local authorities to tackle anti-social behaviour in public spaces.

The powers in the 2014 Act are local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances as they are best-placed to understand the needs of their community and the most appropriate response.

The Government does not centrally collate data on the number of public spaces protection orders issued.