Vol. 546 No. 1
56 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the frequency with which a census of Travellers is carried out; if the census identifies the number of families who wish to be rehoused, live permanently in halting sites or occupy transient halting sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31087/01]
My Department arranges, through local authorities, an annual count of Traveller families. This count is undertaken on the last Friday of each November. The annual count is a statistical return which identifies the number of Traveller families in various types of accommodation and on the roadside. It does not identify the type of accommodation required by such families.
Under section 9 of the Housing Act, 1988, local authorities are required, not less frequently than every three years, to assess general housing needs in their areas, including the needs of Traveller families. Section 6 of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998, requires local authorities, when making this assessment, to include an assessment of the need for permanent and transient halting sites. The next statutory assessment of housing need will take place in March 2002.
