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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 16 Dec 2003

Vol. 577 No. 3

Written Answers. - Traveller Accommodation.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

536 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the steps he has taken to ensure that all local authorities are making adequate provision of accommodation suitable to Travellers' needs; and the authorities which are complying and those which are failing. [30701/03]

My Department is concerned to put in place an adequate legislative and financial framework within which local authorities, voluntary bodies and Travellers may provide or be assisted in the provision of accommodation for Travellers. As required under the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, each county and city council, borough council, and the town councils of Bray and Dundalk, has prepared and adopted five-year Traveller accommodation programmes covering the period 2000 to 2004. The councils are also obliged under the Act to take any reasonable steps necessary to implement their respective programmes. All relevant local authorities are now in the process of implementing their programmes.

My Department continues to provide the necessary funding to meet the cost to local authorities of the provision of Traveller specific accommodation. Expenditure under the Traveller accommodation capital programme during the first three years of the currency of the accommodation programmes was €65.46 million. A further €30 million was provided for Traveller specific accommodation in 2003. This expenditure is in addition to the amount spent on standard local authority accommodation and accommodation funded under my Department's voluntary housing schemes, which was allocated to Travellers in this period.
Authorities have indicated, with a number of exceptions, that they hope to address the identified needs for Traveller accommodation in the lifetime of the programmes. Some local authorities are not required by the Act to set annual targets or deadlines for the provision of Traveller accommodation. My Department is engaged in a review of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998. Earlier this year, to assist in the review, I requested the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee to consider and make recommendations to me in relation to the operation of the Act. I understand that the question of barriers to the implementation of accommodation programmes is one of the issues the committee is considering in this context.
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