25.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress made in implementing Part II of the Caravan Sites Act 1968.
Latest available figures show that local authorities in England and Wales have provided 146 sites, accommodating 2,328 gipsy caravans. This leaves about three-quarters of the gipsy population with no legal stopping place. As I announced in the House on 6th April—[Vol. 929, c. 528–9]—the report by Mr. John Cripps on this problem has now been published and consultations on it are proceeding.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how the counties of Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex, respectively, have so far discharged their statutory responsibilities regarding the provision of caravan sites for gipsies; in each case how many vans are allowed for; and how these stops compare with the estimated gipsy population from time to time in these counties.
, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th April 1977; Vol. 929, c. 644–5], gave the following information:
| Number of sites provided | Number of pitches | Estimated total number of gipsies | ||||||
| Norfolk | … | … | … | … | … | 1 | 15 | 60 |
| Cambridgeshire | … | … | … | … | 2 | 37 | 200 | |
| Suffolk | … | … | … | … | … | NIL | NIL | 60 |
| Essex | … | … | … | … | … | 41* | 68 | 250 |
| * Includes 1 temporary site. | ||||||||