Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2019 to Question 237682 on Travellers: Caravan Sites, for what reason that Answer did not set out (a) the number of (i) police forces and (ii) police representative bodies that responded to that consultation and (b) how many of those responses favoured the criminalisation of unauthorised encampments.

Last year’s Government consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments received responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including police forces, offices of police and crime commissioners, law enforcement representative bodies, local authorities, private sector bodies, representative groups of the Gypsy and Traveller community and members of the public. The result of this consultation was clear - people want to see greater protection for local communities.

Acting on the findings of the consultation, where the majority of respondents believed that the Government should consider criminalising unauthorised encampments, the Home Office launched a review into whether this could be achieved

Responses to the consultation were received from six police forces and two police representative bodies. A summary of responses to the consultation can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/powers-for-dealing-with-unauthorised-development-and-encampments