asked the Minister for Local Government if he will introduce legislation to enable the Garda authorities and local authorities to take expeditious action to restrain itinerant dealers from setting up temporary dwellings on roadsides thereby causing nuisance and obstruction to road users and local residents.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Itinerant Dealers.
18.
Considerable powers exist under 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.
Is the Minister aware of the magnitude of the problem, particularly in the Cork area and with special reference to Carrigtwohill area, where at the moment there are up to 40 caravans in a small space of roadway without any facilities? Would the Minister consider investigating the matter? The local authority are quite helpless in dealing with these numbers. They are a pretty arrogant group of people, they are causing a considerable nuisance and we need something more than the existing legislation to deal with them.
This matter was raised in connection with the Dublin area by a number of Deputies, including Deputy Tunney. There are a number of powers local authorities have which they can exercise. If they do not try to exercise them there is not much use in saying they do not operate. I know that the people involved can be a nuisance, particularly those who are not itinerants but who are very much better off. It must start with the local authorities. If these authorities find it is beyond them and if they bring the matter to my notice perhaps we may have to introduce legislation. At the moment there is no such legislation.
I am glad the Minister is willing to receive such representations. I would ask the Minister to carry out an investigation. As he pointed out, the people concerned are not itinerants. All of them have vehicles that cost £8,000 or £10,000 each; most of them are from the North of Ireland or from the UK.
I want to be fair to Deputy Tunney who raised this question also. The situation is not as easy to deal with as some people try to make out. If these people are in the areas around towns by-laws introduced by the towns can deal with them, but as far as the country districts are concerned it is purely a matter of using the powers local authorities have at the moment. If they try to deal with this matter and find they are unsuccessful, I should be glad if they would give me details. Until they do that there is not much we can do.
I wish to give notice of my intention to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Questions Nos. 10 and 11.
I will communicate with the Deputy.