Examination of Witnesses (Questions 317
- 319)
UESDAY 13 JULY 2004
RT HON
KEITH HILL
MP, MS DAWN
EASTMEAD AND
MR JOHN
STAMBOLLOUIAN
Q317 Chairman: Good morning and can
I welcome you to the final session of our inquiry into Gypsy and
Traveller sites. Can I ask you to identify your team, please?
Keith Hill: I would like to begin
by introducing my officials who will be supporting me through
the Committee's deliberations this morning. I am joined by Dawn
Eastmead, Head of Housing Management and John Stambollouian, Head
of Planning Control.
Q318 Chairman: Would you like to
make a brief statement?
Keith Hill: I would like to make
a brief statement to update the Committee on the activities of
my Department but I will try to make it as brief as possible.
As the Committee is aware the Department is currently undertaking
a comprehensive review of its Gypsy and Traveller policies which
is due to report to ministers in the summer. The review centres
around Gypsy and Traveller accommodation issues. This consideration
is set within the over-arching policy aims of mainstreaming Gypsy
and Traveller issues in the housing and planning systems and improving
social inclusion. Gypsies and Travellers are a marginalised group
who often fare worse than others in terms of health, education
and employment. Stable and appropriate accommodation would go
some way towards facilitating improvements in these areas although
it is by no means the whole answer. In advance of the review being
completed a great deal of activity is already underway in the
Department. I am pleased to inform the Committee that new guidance
on housing needs assessment is being prepared which will include
guidelines on assessing the needs of Gypsies and Travellers. The
current Circular 1/94 is being revised to address some of the
problems there have been with getting planning permission for
sites. In addition, the new planning system will bring a regional
dimension to the consideration of Gypsy and Traveller needs and
provision. The Gypsy Caravan Count is being revised to improve
its accuracy and usefulness and the document Revised Guidance
on Unauthorised Encampments was published on the ODPM website
in February and will shortly be incorporating new guidance on
the Anti-Social Behaviour Act Trespass Powers. I can also tell
the Committee that the Gypsy site refurbishment grant continues
to improve conditions on sites around the country and to provide
new transit sites and stopping places. We are planning to extend
the permissible purposes of the Housing Corporation to allow RSLs
to provide Gypsy and Traveller sites and through the Planning
and Compulsory Purchase Act we have introduced temporary stop
notices which will help to tackle some of the problems arising
from unauthorised development. I hope the Committee will agree
that a good deal is already happening. Our aim is to give Gypsies
and Travellers the kind of choices that others take for granted;
to see Gypsies and Travellers and the settled community living
peacefully together in cohesive communities and to reverse years
of marginalisation and exclusion. I do not underestimate the challenges
but I am confident that a very positive start has been made.
Q319 Chairman: Thank you very much
for that; it is very helpful. You refer to this report to ministers
in the summer. Presumably that is this summer and for ministerial
purposes how long does this summer go on for?
Keith Hill: It is this summer,
I am happy to confirm, and the summer is the summer!
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