asked the Minister for the Environment if his Department, in addition to meeting the capital costs of itinerant sites, will pay in total or in part for the proper management of such sites.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Itinerant Sites Costs.
29.
(Dublin South-East): As the Deputy indicates, my Department are recouping the full capital costs of providing settlement schemes for travelling people. The maintenance costs are traditionally met by the local authorities from their general expenditure, which of course is nowadays heavily subsidised by the Exchequer. No change in this long-established arrangement is proposed at present. As the Deputy is no doubt aware, a Travelling People Review Group was set up jointly by the Ministers for Health and Environment in January 1981 to review the current policies and programmes generally in relation to services and support for travelling people. The Group are expected to report shortly.
Would the Minister not agree that if the scheme for the provision of halting sites to resettle travelling people is to be effective it requires adequate management services on the sites and the scheme is liable to fall down if they are not provided and it is only the Government through the Minister's Department who can ensure that the funds are made available to the local authorities to ensure proper management to enable the scheme to have some hope of success?
(Dublin South-East): I would agree with that and, consistent with the statement made by the Minister quite recently, the Department are fully aware of this problem and are giving every consideration to improving matters where problem areas arise.