§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) what action was taken by his Department with the Kent County Council resulting from the Report on the Survey carried out in 1951–52 on gypsies and other travellers in Kent at the request of his Department; and what practicable steps were initiated subsequently to deal with the situation;
(2) in view of the hardships caused to gypsies in England and Wales by 61W changes in living conditions, what steps have been taken by his Department to obtain information of action taken in other countries in recent years to help their gypsy communities, with a view to obtaining ideas to help gypsies in the United Kingdom;
(3) to which local authorities his Department has made representations on behalf of gypsies since 1st January, 1953; and with what result;
(4) if he will ask all local authorities to send to him details of gypsies living in their districts, with a view to an examination of the problems involved and the action to be taken to improve the situation where there is need;
(5) what is the number of gypsies living in caravans or shacks in England and Wales at the latest convenient date;
(6) what he has done to ascertain the nature of the gypsy problem in England and Wales;
(7) in what way details have been obtained in England and Wales as a whole, of the number of people of all types living at a given date in unsatisfactory conditions in caravans, shacks or motor vehicles;
(8) in view of the statement, in the Report of the Survey on Gypsies and other Travellers in Kent, carried out by the Kent County Council at the request of his Department, that there is a need for a national policy to precede the making of long-term arrangements as to living quarters, facilities for employment and education, when he intends to take action in this respect;
(9) what plans he has for finding sites where gypsies can live under proper conditions, without being disturbed and without disturbing others;
(10) what evidence he has that the Caravan Sites Act of 1960 will improve the situation of gypsies; and in what way;
(11) what reply has been received to the advice given by his Department to the St. Albans Rural District Council last July that they should make use of their powers to help gypsy families;
(12) if he will seek the co-operation of all county councils in arranging for registering the position of every gypsy caravan on a day or days to be selected, as is being done in Kent;
62W(13) if he will state the number of persons living in caravans, shacks or motor vehicles in Kent, at the latest convenient date, who are without any other place to live;
(14) if he will give the name of the local authority his Department approached in connection with the moving of gypsies and other types of travellers from Colney Heath, and to whom he gave details of the successful gypsy camp venture by the West Ashford Rural District Council; when the letter was sent; and what has transpired since;
(15) if, in view of the inability of local authorities to alleviate the conditions of many gypsies in England and Wales, he will give consideration to setting up the necessary machinery to carry out a census to obtain reliable information about the number of Romanies and their needs, with a view to formulating a national policy for living quarters, and proper facilities for their employment and education.
Mr. RiponI understand that the hon. Member has seen a copy of the letter the Ministry sent to the Kent County Council after the 1951–52 survey, which explained the Government's attitude to the problem. He will also be familiar, as a result of recent correspondence, with the view of my right hon. Friend, now the Chief Secretary of the Treasury, that the problems which arise are essentially matters for local, rather than national, action. My right hon. Friend agrees and does not consider that any further action by the Government is called for at present. We are ready to look into any particular cases of difficulty that may be brought to our notice.
I cannot add to the information my right hon. Friend's predecessor gave the hon. Member about the effects of the Act of 1960, and the episode at Colney Heath.