§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he has any plans to seek to amend the Public Order Bill (a) to make mass trespass 632W on to farmland a criminal offence or (b) make trepans on to residential premises a criminal offence; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will call for reports from the chief constables of Avon and Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire on the recent incidents involving a hippy convoy in their areas, and as to the extra costs of policing which have arisen.
§ Mr. Giles ShawI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a private notice question by my hon. Friend the Member for the New Forest (Mr. McNair Wilson) on 3 June, at columns 733–34. On the separate issue of trespass on residential premises, we have no plans to bring forward legislation to amend the criminal law.
I shall write to my hon. Friend about the cost of the police operations.