Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to make it easier to (a) prevent and (b) remove illegal traveller encampments.

This Government has given councils stronger powers to tackle unauthorised sites.

Last year, we issued clear guidance to councils, reminding them of the full range of measures they have.

But I remain concerned that councils and police commissioners are not using their powers, due to gold-plating of human rights rules. The public want to see fair play in the planning system.