HC Deb 26 October 1983 vol 47 cc280-1
17. Mr. Greenway

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria he follows in designating official gipsy sites; and if he will make a statement.

The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Neil Macfarlane)

The responsibility for providing official gipsy sites rests with the local authorities concerned, who have a statutory duty under the Caravan Sites Act 1968 to provide adequate accommodation for the gipsies residing in or resorting to their area. Advice on statutory procedures, alternative forms of gipsy accommodation and practical matters affecting site provision and management is contained in DOE circular 28/77, a copy of which is in the Library.

Mr. Greenway

Will my hon. Friend take powers to seek to amend legislation under which gipsy sites can be forced into overbuilt and overpopulated areas such as Northolt at a cost to public funds of £500,000 for a 15-caravan site? Will he do so bearing in mind the fact that the people coming on to those sites are mostly not honest didicois but tinkers, and are unacceptable to the local community, which they often disturb seriously?

Mr. Macfarlane

I have no plans to amend the Caravan Sites Act 1968. It is important that the House should understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State always relies on the advice on the selection of appropriate sites given by the local authorities.

Mr. Corbett

Will the Minister talk to West Midlands county council about the itinerant gipsy site at Tameside drive in Castle Vale, in Birmingham, which boasts a row of pylons on one side, a pellet-making plant on another and the M6 on the third side? Does he agree that residents on that site face a health hazard?

Mr. Macfarlane

I am unaware of the details of that site. I take note of what the hon. Gentleman says. No doubt he will write to me more fully with details. If it is a designated site, it will have been selected by the local authority. I need more details to be able to answer more fully.

Mr. Key

Does my hon. Friend agree that the major problem with gipsies lies not with the traditional gipsies but the so-called "new age" gipsies or the so-called "peace convoy" gipsies who have moved around the country, particularly during the summer, in ever-increasing numbers and who are apparently outwith the law?

Mr. Macfarlane

My hon. Friend has made an important point. It is a serious problem affecting many parts of England and Wales. That is why my Department initiated a discussion paper last year. We are still looking at its recommendations. No doubt I shall receive further advice in due course.

Mr. Cartwright

In view of the considerable nuisance suffered regularly by many Londoners due to travellers' caravans parked on council estates and so on, when will the Minister do something effective to help councils which have more that met their obligations under the Caravan Sites Act 1968, yet still suffer from those regular problems?

Mr. Macfarlane

The hon. Gentleman has raised an important point. If the local authority has designated sites and provided the appropriate number of pitches in the area, the local police have powers. That is a matter for the local chief of police and the local authority.