Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research by Katharine Quarmby 'Systemic Racism within a Rigged System', published in Byline Times on 24 May, on the risks to health and wellbeing on 242 authorised Gypsy and traveller sites; and what steps they will take in response.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) which was published alongside the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) in 2012 recognises the differing needs and land use of travelling communities and encourages improved site provision.
The Planning Policy for Traveller Sites sets out that authorities should ensure that traveller sites are sustainable economically, socially and environmentally ensuring that (amongst other matters) policies provide for proper consideration of the effect of local environmental quality (such as noise and air quality) on the health and well-being of travellers that may locate there.
The Government remains firmly committed to delivering a cross-government strategy to tackle the inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the undertakings they made in their response to the House of Commons' Women and Equalities Committee report Tackling inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, published on 5 April 2019.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government made a number of commitments across departments in its response to the Committee’s report in July 2019. While the Government’s top priority has been to respond to the unprecedented challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are continuing to progress the measures we outlined in our response to the Committee, chief among them our commitment to deliver a cross-government strategy to tackle the inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
In our response to the Committee we committed to tackle inequalities in a number of areas, including education. My department has invested £400,000 into education and training programmes for over 100 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and young people, to receive extra tuition to catch up on lost learning during the pandemic, one-to-one support and expert guidance to help them progress in education or find employment.
This is in addition to the Department for Education’s National Tutoring Programme, worth £350 million, which will increase access to high-quality tuition for the most disadvantaged young people over the 2020-21 academic year. The Department of Education also recently made the announcement about additional laptops and tablets to be made available in 2021 for schools and colleges.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow the same number of people to attend a humanist wedding as religious and civil weddings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Humanists weddings can take place with 15 people present under these Regulations, as is the case for religious ceremonies and civil ceremonies.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to mark Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on 2 August.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Every year we honour the memory of the Roma and Sinti population murdered by the Nazi's at the annual Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations on 27 January. The 2nd of August marked the liquidation of the Gypsy Family camp' at Auschwitz-Birkenau and this year due to the restrictions on gatherings brought about by the Covid 19 pandemic I honoured the memory of the Roma and Sinti men, women and children murdered by the Nazi's by releasing a short film on social media.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 6 May (HL3366) stating that they were “holding regular discussions with representatives from the Gypsy and Traveller communities to understand the issues they are facing, including what guidance and support is needed locally”, what steps they are taking to ensure that local authorities reach vulnerable Gypsies and Travellers on the roadside without access to water or sanitation.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government takes the welfare of all citizens seriously and we are working hard to ensure those most at risk are identified and supported including those in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
We have been in close contact with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Voluntary and Community Sector organisations and are doing everything we can to support them through the pandemic.
All local authorities should consider how best to support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in their area. On 11 April, I wrote to all local authority chief executives to highlight that some such individuals may need specific support, including access to basic services such as water, sanitation and waste disposal (attached): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mitigating-impacts-on-gypsy-and-traveller-communities
Local authorities may conclude that some Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, especially those lacking basic amenities, require alternative places to stop where access to facilities such as water pipes, water bowsers and portable toilets is provided, or can be made temporarily available.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the task force on rough sleeping led by Dame Louise Casey will provide specific support for Roma rough sleepers to ensure that possible language barriers and concerns about dealing with officials are overcome.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We want to ensure local areas have the tools they need to meet the diverse needs of anyone who has been sleeping rough, regardless of their background.
The recently announced taskforce spearheaded by Dame Louise Casey will work with local government, charities, businesses, faith and community groups, and other public sector partners across the country, leading the next phase of the Government’s support for rough sleepers during the pandemic.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government maintains close contact with Roma stakeholder groups. Through this continued stakeholder engagement, we ensure all our policy approaches are informed by a wide range of considerations and meet the needs of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Equality and Human Rights Commission report Gypsy and Traveller sites: the revised planning definition's impact on assessing accommodation needs, published on 13 September.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to raise awareness among local authorities and housing associations that the Affordable Homes Programme covers funding for Traveller sites; how many applications proposing Traveller sites have been made; and how many of those have been approved since April 2016.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
On 14 June 2017, we published ‘Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme supplementary information – Continuous Market Engagement (CME),’ which includes details on funding for traveller pitches. This document is available (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-ownership-and-affordable-homes-programme-supplementary-information-continuous-market-engagement-cme
We have not approved any new traveller pitches since April 2016 – our Live Tables on affordable housing delivery are available (attached) online: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
Government does not publish details of applications for funding from the Affordable Homes Programme.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to provide sufficient Gypsy and Traveller sites to meet the recommendations of (1) the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, (2) the UN Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, (3) the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, (4) the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and (5) the Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities; and whether the response to their consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments will address this issue.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Planning Policy for Travellers Sites asks local planning authorities to assess the need for traveller sites in their area, and to identify sites to meet that need. Local authorities are best placed to make decisions about the number and location of such sites locally, having had due regard to national policy and local circumstances. Our recent consultation on unauthorised encampments has sought views on whether there are barriers to the provision of sites, and whether there is anything Government can do to help overcome them. We are currently considering the responses to this consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 18 July (HL9254), what steps they are taking with media agencies and the Ofcom to combat hate crime and discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; and what assessment they have made of the findings in the report by Goldsmiths, University of London, Recognise, Report, Resolve, published in June, of hate speech frequently being published on the comments sections of media outlets’ websites.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
We are clear that there is no place for hate speech anywhere in society. While freedom of speech is a vital cornerstone of our society, everybody must remember that they have responsibilities not to spread hatred or fear.
As part of the EU High Level Group on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Other Forms of Intolerance, the UK has been a leading voice in the creation of a voluntary EU Code of Conduct which holds social media companies responsible for the removal of all illegal hate speech from their platforms within 24 hours. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Microsoft, Instagram and other internet companies have signed this Code and the third monitoring exercise in December 2017 showed that the companies removed on average 70 per cent of illegal hate speech notified to them.
As part of the Hate Crime Action Plan, the Government has supported the Society of Editors to produce a Moderation Guide for online comments, which will be revisited in our continuing work with the Society of Editors and Independent Press Standards Organisation to update the Reporting Diversity booklet. This will consider hatred against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities alongside other racially and religiously motivated hatred.
Additionally, in line with the recommendations given in the report Recognise, Report, Resolve, we support efforts to improve awareness and reporting of hate crime, including through our £55,000 grant to HertsGATE (Gypsy and Traveller Empowerment), to work to encourage reporting of hate crime in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.