§ Dr. IddonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will consider, for local authorities that have provided adequate and well-maintained gipsy sites, providing financial assistance for emergency transit sites for other gipsies visiting their area. [11998]
§ Mr. RaynsfordExchequer grant at 100 per cent. was available for some 16 years for local authorities to provide both permanent, and transit, gipsy sites with a life of at least 10 years, and for temporary sites with a life of at least three years. Gipsy sites grant was never available for548W emergency stopping places which are often no more than redundant pieces of land with basic sanitary facilities for short overnight stops. Advice that local authorities should consider providing such sites in their areas, as a means for dealing with short-term unauthorised camping, was first enshrined in departmental circulars issued in 1977 and 1978.
We have no plans at present to reintroduce Exchequer grant aid for local authorities to provide gipsy caravan sites.