§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what restrictions on the use and unfurling of banners in Hyde park have been imposed in respect of the March for Jesus on 25 June; and for what reasons.
§ Mr. SproatResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its chief executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from David Welch to Mr. Jack Straw, dated 15 June 1994:
The Secretary of State for National Heritage has asked me to reply to your question about what restrictions have been imposed on the use and unfurling of banners at the March for Jesus in Hyde Park on 25 June.We have asked the organisers that the majority of banners are furled on entering the Park and placards are deposited at convenient points, to be collected by their owners at the end of the event. The organisers have agreed, as they did on each of the previous occasions they have used the Park.This is a standard condition that applies to all rallies and other assemblies in the Royal Parks including, for instance, the miners' rally in Hyde Park in October 1992. It is intended to reduce the risk to those taking part from large numbers of often quite excited people waving wooden poles around. It also prevents a lot of litter, as most placards are rather flimsy and are abandoned in the park at the end of the rally.We have agreed that that they may display a selection of international flags at the entrance to the Park. We have allowed them to bring the main banner with the title of the rally into the Park, and also individual church or geographical banners to help people identify the location of their group.