Vol. 545 No. 4
298 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if the provision of halting sites is still the official policy of his Department as a precursor to housing Travellers in settled communities or new estates; if local authorities do not have to provide halting sites in the event of Travellers being housed by other means; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30774/01]
In its 1995 report, the task force on the Travelling community considered that all types of accommodation, including permanent halting sites, should be made available to Travellers. The task force recommended the provision of 3,100 units of accommodation, incorporating 900 standard and group houses, 1,200 serviced bays on permanent halting sites and a network of serviced transient halting sites providing 1,000 bays throughout the country to cater for the normal patterns of movement of Travellers, otherwise than as their normal place of residence. Following consideration of the report the Government, on 26 March 1996, adopted the national strategy for Traveller accommodation incorporating the principal recommendations of the task force in relation to Traveller accommodation.
The main elements of the national strategy are supported by the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998. The Act required all the major housing authorities to adopt and implement five year programmes for the accommodation of Travellers in their area. The Act requires relevant housing authorities, when assessing the housing accommodation needs of Travellers under section 9 of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1988, to make an assessment of the need for halting sites, including transient sites, to accommodate Travellers. The memorandum on implementation of the Act, issued by my Department in November 1998, advised local authorities that their assessment of need must relate to a range of accommodation options, including standard and group housing, permanent halting sites and transient halting sites, as specified in the Act.
