Local authorities provide Traveller accommodation in accordance with their five year programmes. These programmes are developed based on the assessment of need undertaken by local authorities. This assessment takes into account both current and future need having regard to new family formations. In estimating the total need to be addressed by the programmes local authorities are not in a position, in all cases, to make precise assessments of the category of accommodation required, particularly in the case of families not yet formed at the time the programmes are being prepared. In general, local authorities have indicated in their programmes that they intend to address the identified need for Traveller accommodation during the course of the programmes.
The following table sets out the overall Traveller accommodation needs, including projected future needs, identified by local authorities in their programmes in terms of the overall number of units required. In addition, it provides the number of new units of permanent accommodation provided to the end of 2002, the last full year for which information is available.