§ Mr. OnslowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information is available to his Department about the composition and numbers of gipsy communities in England and Wales.
§ Sir George YoungThe Department asks local authorities to carry out a twice yearly count of gipsy caravans in their area on two specific days, in January and July each year. The statistics provided to the Department by local authorities in July 1991 showed a total of 12,316 caravans in England. The Welsh Office has responsibility for gipsies in Wales.
I am arranging for a copy of the July 1991 count to be placed in the Library of the House.