§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the procedures governing the granting of permission for public gatherings in Parliament Square. [79167]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 29 March 1999]: I have been asked to reply.
Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Viviane Robertson to Mr. Peter Ainsworth, dated 13 April 1999:
In the absence of the Chief Executive, Mr. David Welch, I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to answer your Parliamentary Question about public gatherings on Parliament Square because this is a subject for which the Royal Parks Agency is responsible.28WWe rarely give permission for public gatherings in Parliament Square at any time, and particularly while Parliament is sitting, when Sessional Orders require the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to keep the roads leading to the House open.Although the Agency is responsible for the management of Parliament Square, we are not responsible for the roads that surround it. Consequently, on the rare occasions we do receive such a request, we consult the Parliamentary authorities and the Metropolitan Police before deciding whether to approve the gathering.