Gypsies and Travellers

Lord McNally Excerpts

Thursday 16th February 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Avebury]

My Lords—

[Lord McNally]

My Lords, shall we hear from the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, first?

[Lord Avebury]

My Lords, can we now assume that there will be a further consultation on the revised national planning policy framework that incorporates a version of the Traveller document, as recommended by the CLG Select Committee? If so, will the new composite document include a revised and more inclusive definition of Gypsies and Travellers for the purposes of both housing and planning which is based on the Housing Act 2004?

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Kilclooney]

My Lords—

[Lord McNally]

Perhaps we could hear from the noble Lord, Lord Richard.

[Lord Richard]

My Lords, does not the problem go rather deeper than the way in which the Minister seems to be approaching it? The noble Lord, Lord Tebbit, put his finger on one of the issues. Is not the fact that there are not enough sites in this country the real reason why so many people who want to live a nomadic life cannot do so? Therefore, they have to go into static accommodation, which they probably do not want to be in anyway, and which no doubt has planning problems and upsets the neighbours. However, the real problem here is that there are not enough sites for nomadic peoples to go to.