Charitable and Community Events

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Hood. I begin by congratulating the hon. Member for Totnes (Mr. Steen) on securing an important debate, not only for his constituents but throughout the country. I will mention some of the points that he raised about his locality, but to cover the terms of the debate I shall need to draw widely and broadly on issues across the country and raise a number of issues that might not be specifically relevant to his part of the world. I also congratulate the hon. Gentleman on the way in which he conducted the debate and the measured tones in which he put forward his case. In addition, I congratulate the hon. and learned Member for Torridge and West Devon (Mr. Cox) and the hon. Member for South-West Devon (Mr. Streeter) on putting forward their points of view in support of their hon. Friend. I understand the importance of the issue, because only recently I met the Showmen’s Guild. My hon. Friends the Members for Nuneaton (Mr. Olner) and for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) raised issues about travelling fairs and so on similar to those that the hon. Member for Totnes raised about the Dart music festival. It is an issue across the country, and we are seeking to address it and to work with the police in dealing with it.