Travelling People: Planning Permission

Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to require all local planning authorities to report biannually to her Department on (a) the details of all applications for planning permission for Gypsy and Traveller sites, (b) the outcome of those applications, (c) details of planning appeals and enforcement appeals and (d) the outcomes of appeals.

Meg Munn
From October 2007 local planning authorities will be required to provide information on the number of planning applications for Gypsy and Traveller sites and their outcome as part of their PS1 and PS2 (planning statistics) returns. This information is published on a quarterly basis. Details of planning and enforcement appeals and their outcomes are maintained by the Planning Inspectorate.

Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to (a) monitor and (b) publish the details of progress by local planning authorities in fulfilling, through pitch allocation and site provision, the needs identified by Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessments.

Meg Munn
Local authorities must allocate sufficient sites for Gypsies and Travellers in site allocation development plan documents. Section 35 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act requires every local authority to make an annual report to the Secretary of State containing information on the implementation of the local development scheme, which includes development plan documents, and the extent to which policies set out in local development documents are being achieved.