Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with representatives of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities on Part 5 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Following a public consultation in 2018, it was clear that more police powers were needed to tackle unauthorised encampments, which can cause distress and misery to many communities and businesses. In 2019, the Government conducted a public consultation, seeking views on how we should extend police powers. We sought views from a wide range of interested parties, including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. In addition, the national charity - Friends, Family and Travellers - launched a campaign, through which they sought views and fed those in to the Home Office. All views expressed were considered by the Home Office when we took our decisions.