HC Deb 24 May 1968 vol 765 cc1181-2

DESIGNATION OF AREAS

Mr. Murton

I beg to move Amendment No. 52 in page 9, line 3, after first ' borough ' insert ' a county district'.

I consider that a district council should be given the same power to apply to the Minister for an order designating an area where unauthorised camping shall not take place as is to be given to the other local authorities mentioned in the Bill.

Amendment negatived.

Question proposed, That the Bill be now read the Third time.

3.56 p.m.

Mr. John Wells

I welcome substantially the gipsy provisions of the Bill. Part II of the Bill I think is excellent and will be widely welcomed. Of Part I of the Bill I do not think in such a generous way.

The hon. Member for Orpington (Mr. Lubbock) is doing the Labour Party's work for it and doing it in a half-hearted and inadequate manner. The Labour Government should have brought forward their own Measure to do this, if they wanted to do it. Instead of relying upon a private Member's time—of an Opposition Member—they should have brought forward their own Measure. The point I am seeking to make is simply this, that Part I brings in further restrictions upon ephemeral grounds, as I said before, and which I very much deplore.

Part II, I think, is widely welcomed. It is a pity that the hon. Member has put together in a ragbag various phrases from other legislation, but in general the provisions are acceptable. The point which has agitated many of my constituents—and it affects many of us in Kent, because our county council has been a pioneer in this matter—is that adjacent county councils, adjacent authorities, have not been so good as our own. Our county council has done a good job—

Mr. Lubbock

Hear, hear.

Mr. Wells

—and the fact that it has done so has brought gipsies in from other areas. I therefore welcome Part II of the Bill, and I hope that those adjacent county councils will now be compelled to follow the example of such an authority as Kent—and Hampshire. I am sorry the hon. Member was not able to accept Hampshire. I hope even now that he will be able to get a friend of his in another place to consider this.

I hope the House will support the second Part, much as I deplore the first Part.

Question put and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed.