§ Mr. Millanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any grants are payable by him to persons and bodies other than local authorities in connection with the provision of sites for travelling people; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindProvision of sites for travelling people is a local authority responsibility. I have no power to provide financial assistance specifically towards the costs of providing such sites to any other person or body.
The Government recently announced a target date of December 1988 for completion of a network of sites sufficient to meet the needs of Scotland's travelling community. I am convinced that this is the right policy to secure satisfactory provision for travellers and to remove for the settled community the nuisance of unauthorised encampments.