Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department will publish its response to the consultation on Strengthening police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments, which closed on 4 March 2020.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to UIN 62648 on 02 July 2020 to the Hon Member for Sevenoaks.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on unauthorised encampments.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is clear that unauthorised encampments cause harm to the local environment and that the rights of settled residents must be respected.
Local authorities are best-placed to determine when it is appropriate to use their powers to evict unauthorised encampments under Sections 77 and 78 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994) during the Covid-19 pandemic, and should work with the police and magistrates’ courts in their local area.
On 5 November 2019, the Government launched a consultation seeking views on measures to strengthen police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments. The consultation closed on the 5 March. We will announce the outcome of this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what powers are in place to prevent the development of unauthorised encampments.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government is clear that unauthorised encampments cause harm to the local environment and that the rights of settled residents must be respected. Local authorities have powers available to them to prevent the development of unauthorised encampments in their area.
Councils can apply to the Courts for pre-emptive injunctions which prevent unauthorised camping in a defined geographical area. Councils are also able to take early and decisive action by issuing Temporary Stop Notices against unauthorised development and encampments. Councils can issue such a notice on both private and public sector land.
On 5 November 2019, the Government launched a consultation seeking views on measures to strengthen police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments. The consultation closed on the 5 March. We will announce the outcome of this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) police and (b) local authorities have adequate enforcement powers to disperse illegal encampments.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
On 5 November 2019, the Government launched a consultation seeking views on measures to strengthen police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments. The consultation closed on the 5 March. We will announce the outcome of this consultation in due course.
Local authorities are best-placed to determine when it is appropriate to use their powers to evict unauthorised encampments under Sections 77 and 78 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994) and should work with the police and magistrates’ courts in their local areas.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Home Office:
What plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a new offence of intentional trespass to help prevent unlawful traveller encampments.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Although the majority of travellers obey the law, we recognise that unauthorised encampments can cause significant distress.
We consulted on measures to enable the police to tackle unauthorised encampments more effectively and will publish a response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to strengthen enforcement powers in respect of unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller sites.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to UIN 62648 on 02 July 2020 to the Hon Member for Sevenoaks.
[On 5 November 2019, the Government launched a consultation seeking views on measures to strengthen police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments. The consultation closed on the 5 March. We will announce the outcome of this consultation in due course].
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department will publish its response to the consultation on Strengthening police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments, which closed on 4 March 2020.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
On 5 November 2019, the Government launched a consultation seeking views on measures to strengthen police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments. The consultation closed on the 5 March. We will announce the outcome of this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals before the 2020 summer recess to tackle unauthorised traveller camps through (a) giving the police new powers to arrest and seize the property and vehicles of trespassers who set up unauthorised encampments, (b) making intentional trespass a criminal offence and (c) giving local authorities greater powers within the planning system.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
On 5 November 2019, the Government launched a consultation seeking views on measures to strengthen police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments The consultation closed on the 5 March. We will announce the outcome of this consultation in due course.
The government is committed to strengthening national policy so local planning authorities have stronger grounds to reject retrospective planning applications where there has been intentional unauthorised development. MHCLG will also extend the time period for temporary stop notices giving local planning authorities more time to build their case for enforcement action. MHCLG intend to consult on the details of these proposals shortly.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a new offence of intentional trespass to tackle unlawful traveller encampments.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Potential measures to criminalise the act of trespassing when setting up an unauthorised encampment in England and Wales were announced in the December 2019 Queen’s Speech for inclusion in the Police Powers and Protection Bill.
On 5 November 2019, the Government launched a consultation seeking views on how best to strengthen police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments - https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-police-powers-to-tackle-unauthorised-encampments. This consultation closed on the 5 March. I will announce the outcome of this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Friends Families and Travellers 2020 report entitled No place to stop: Research on the five year supply of deliverable Gypsy and Traveller sites in the South East of England.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Planning Policy for Traveller Sites is clear that Local Planning Authorities should set pitch targets for gypsies and travellers and plot targets for travelling showpeople which address the likely permanent and transit site accommodation needs of travellers in their area, working collaboratively with neighbouring local planning authorities. They should identify and update annually, a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide 5 years’ worth of sites against their locally set targets.
Through a Written Ministerial Statement on 6 February 2019 (HCWS1305), local authorities were reminded of their duties to assess the need for transit and permanent sites.
We have committed to a number of measures to support site provision including to finalise the 2016 draft guidance on assessing housing need including for those residing in caravans; and to consider making information on permanent and transit sites in plans freely available in open data format so that there is a single, clear source of data available. We will also consider writing to those authorities who do not have an up-to-date plan for travellers in place.