Vol. 560 No. 3
170 Ms Burton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the steps being taken to ensure that local authorities are in a position to meet their obligations in regard to housing for members of the travelling community by 2004 as required under the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2371/03]
My Department has been concerned to provide an adequate legislative and financial framework in place within which local authorities, voluntary bodies and Travellers may provide or be assisted in the provision of accommodation for Travellers. The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides the legislative framework within which the accommodation needs of Travellers is provided. Under that Act each county and city council, borough council and the town councils of Bray and Dundalk are required to prepare and adopt five-year Traveller accommodation programmes and to take all reasonable steps to implement their programmes. All relevant local authorities adopted programmes, covering the period 2000 to 2004, and are in the process of implementing these programmes.
My Department has provided and continues to provide the necessary funding to meet the cost to local authorities of the provision of Traveller specific accommodation in each of the three years of the programmes to date. Total expenditure under my Department's Traveller accommodation capital programme during the first three years of the programmes was €65.46 million. This expenditure is in addition to the expenditure on standard local authority accommodation funded under my Department's local authority housing programme and housing provided by voluntary housing bodies and funded under my Department's voluntary housing schemes which was allocated to Travellers in this period. My Department continues to liaise closely with local authorities in relation to the implementation of their programmes.
