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Antisocial Behaviour

: I entirely agree, with one caveat: all the evidence is that antisocial behaviour and the fear of it are greatest in the most deprived communities in the country. There is inevitably some correlation between some social housing and deprivation, so it would not be entirely surprising if there were more victims of antisocial behaviour in those areas. I totally agree, however, that the stereotype is sometimes that antisocial behaviour is entirely created by tenants. That is entirely wrong. There are, of course, very different types of antisocial behaviour. The sheer expense of drink, for example, means that much of the city centre binge drinking that goes on is done by people who have relatively well paid jobs, who probably rent or buy houses in the private sector and who may be socially very different from many people living on local authority estates. The point that my hon. Friend makes is important and touches on a point that may be relevant later in the debate. The Committee concluded that all the necessary powers are in place to deal with antisocial people who live in owner-occupied housing and that no new powers are necessary. It will be interesting to see whether other hon. Members agree.