asked the Minister for Local Government if he will introduce legislation to prevent dealers from camping on a particular site.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Camping Site Legislation.
17.
Considerable powers exist in the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act, 1948 enabling local sanitary authorities to control temporary dwellings in their areas and to prohibit such dwellings in particular places. It is a matter for the local authority to decide on any initiatives to be taken on foot of those powers.
Will the Minister accept that this is a problem of fairly recent origin and that despite the best efforts and best intentions of Kildare local authority and despite questions to the Minister for Justice, we have made no progress whatever with regard to this matter and that it is something that now demands a solution? I would hope that the Minister would not pass the buck to somebody else. Would he not agree that something definite needs to be done to solve this problem and that he has the power to do it if he so wishes?
There is no legislation under which I can deal with it except that which already is in the hands of the local authority and, indeed, the Garda have already dealt with about 400 cases under section 98 of the Road Traffic Act for obstruction of traffic but whether or not anything further can be done is something which I am not in a position to say. My advice is that it is not possible for me to do it but it is open to Kildare County Council to make a prohibition order banning camping on the site. This has not been done. The order would be subject to confirmation by me. It would have to apply to all temporary dwellinghouses and could not be related to dealers only. Another possible approach would be to have closer control of mobile dealers generally. Deputy Power will say that I am passing the buck but that is a matter for the Minister for Industry and Commerce.
I am dealing with them, too, today.
I can appreciate the problem; I know it because I see it when going through the country, but there is nothing I can do except give the powers which local authorities have to deal with it themselves.
Would the Minister accept that to ban them from one locality will only mean that they will hoist their tents or caravans and move to another area and that you cannot designate every area in the country as being banned and that the Minister for Justice has informed me that the Garda have no authority to remove itinerants from the camping sites or to prevent their camping on a particular site? Therefore, it would appear that the legislation which county councils have is not sufficient to deal with the problem and that stronger legislation is required to deal with it.
I disagree with Deputy Power there because I believe a lot of this is caused by the fact that local authorities do not want to take the powers which they have far enough. It is easy for them to complain and to say that the Department should do something about it. My predecessors did, in fact, lay down legislation and passed it on to local authorities. They are not using that legislation. It is a case, to use Deputy Power's expression, of passing the buck and there is nothing I can do about it.