HL Deb 26 February 2001 vol 622 cc115-6WA
Lord Berkeley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why two cars, escorted by three police motorcyclists, drove southward in Hyde Park down the footpath and cycle track at 6.30 p.m. on Monday 5 February at a time when it was heavily used by both pedestrians and cyclists due to the Tube strike; who was being escorted; and why these cars could not have used the parallel Park Lane; and [HL661]

Whether cars are permitted to be driven on footpaths or cycle tracks in the Royal Parks; if not, under what legislation their drivers could be prosecuted for so doing; and by whom. [HL662]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

Responsibility for the subject of these questions have been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, William Weston. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from the Chief Executive of the Royal Parks Agency, William Weston, dated 26 February 2001.

I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about vehicles using the footpaths in the Royal Parks because this is an operational matter for which I am responsible.

I am afraid that I cannot say why two cars escorted by the police were travelling through the park on Monday 5 February or who was in them. Cars being escorted through the park in this manner are usually carrying people in a high security category and are escorted by the Metropolitan Police Special Escort Section. It happens rarely and they do not let us know when they are going to do so, both for security reasons and because they sometimes make a last minute decision to do so to avoid being caught in heavy traffic.

The only vehicles allowed to drive on the footpaths and cycleways in the Royal Parks are those driven by Royal Parks staff and contractors on official business, those servicing the parks' facilities, and the Royal Parks Constabulary for operational reasons. We are aware that the Metropolitan Police occasionally use the park footpaths as a short cut, presumably for operational reasons, but we discourage this as much as we are able to because it could be a hazard to park users.