Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Bridget Phillipson and James Paice

Thursday 12th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North) (Lab)]

8. What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on allotments.

[The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr James Paice)]

This Government strongly support the need for more growing spaces to be made available for people to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Assertions that we would scrap the duty placed on local authorities to provide plots for growing food to persons resident in the area are entirely false. DEFRA officials and I are working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to develop further initiatives to release land that could be used for allotment sites.

[Bridget Phillipson]

I thank the Minister for his answer. Four thousand people in my area currently have an allotment or are on a waiting list for one. Can he reassure me that he will not support any measure that would scrap legal protection for allotments, and that he will bring all possible pressure to bear on his colleagues in the DCLG?

[Mr Paice]

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that my colleagues in the DCLG have already made public statements to make it clear that there are no plans to weaken the protection for allotments.