This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament

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Petition Repeal the Vagrancy Act of 1824

The Vagrancy Act of 1824 which still makes it an offense to sleep rough or beg. England and Wales continue to implement this cruel Act. Scotland and Northern Ireland no longer use this barbaric Act.

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The homeless,through not their fault,are stopped,fined,ends their chance of home or job prospects.

This is a National Disgrace, this Act must be repealed.

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

111 signatures

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Recent Parliamentary debates on homelessness, evictions, and the Vagrancy Act

Over the last two weeks, there have been two debates in Parliament which relate to the issues raised by this petition.

Find links to watch each debate, read the transcripts and access other relevant material on the following webpages:

Nickie Aiken MP’s Westminster Hall debate: Repealing and replacing the Vagrancy Act 1824: https://houseofcommons.shorthandstories.com/vagrancy-act-1824/index.html

Lord Bird’s Question for short debate: Evictions resulting from covid-19-induced poverty: https://houseofcommons.shorthandstories.com/covid-19--poverty-and-mass-evictions-/index.html

What are Westminster Hall debates?

Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons. Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.

What is a Question for short debate?

Four short debates ('Questions for Short Debate') take place on Thursday every five weeks in Grand Committee of the House of Lords, away from the main Chamber. These debates are an opportunity for members of the House of Lords to discuss important current issues and draw the Government’s attention to concerns. A Government minister or spokesperson responds at the end to the issues raised in the debate.

Please note that these debates are separate from any work the Petitions Committee may do on this petition. For more information on how petitions work, see https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/sign-a-petition/e-petitions/