Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
1236. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the allocation sought by Cork City Council under the Traveller accommodation programme to fund projects (details supplied). [9269/20]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
In 2020, to facilitate ease of access to such funding, my Department is no longer allocating specific budgets to individual local authorities. Instead, it is open to all local authorities to apply for and drawdown funds at any time through the year from the €14.5m in funding available overall. In 2020 to date, Cork City Council has drawn down €1.3m in funding for Traveller accommodation projects. In addition to this, the Council has received approval for a further €68,600 in funding for Covid related measures.
