§ 59. Mr. Reader Harrisasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what requests he has received from the local authorities concerned for help or advice in dealing with the problem of itinerant tinkers despoiling the countryside in south-west Middlesex; and what medical reports he has received, drawing attention to the danger to public health arising from the habits of these persons.
§ Mr. CrossmanI have received no such requests, and no medical reports, though the Middlesex County Council supported the idea of a national survey. My predecessors and I have always made it clear to the local authorities concerned that they could best help to solve this problem by providing properly equipped and controlled sites for the itinerant families. None of the local authorities in south-west Middlesex have yet done this.