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Traveller Community

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 March 2022

Tuesday, 22 March 2022

Ceisteanna (737)

Patrick Costello

Ceist:

737. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the actions that her Department has taken to implement the relevant recommendations from the Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community report issued in November 2021. [14009/22]

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Freagraí scríofa

As the Deputy may be aware, on 14 October 2020, the Disability, Equality, Human Rights, Integration and Reception (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 came into operation.

Under article 3(2)(a) of this Order, the functions vested in the Minister for Justice and Equality in relation to the co-ordination of Government policy in relation to Traveller and Roma rights in Irish society were transferred to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

My colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, has responsibility for coordinating the monitoring and implementation of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS).

Chapter 4 of the report referred to by the Deputy deals with “recommendations on accommodation”, and includes a recommendation (number 82) that: “Trespass legislation, in particular where it relates to publicly owned land, should be repealed until the network of transient sites is in place."

Insofar as this recommendation relates indirectly to legislation under my remit, an amendment made by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002 inserted Part IIA, sections 19A to 19H into the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994. These sections relate to trespass and eviction powers assigned to an Garda Síochána in the event of entry on and placing objects on land without consent.

I am advised that the “Traveller Accommodation Expert Review - Programme Board Update” as published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on 14 March 2022 addressed this area and noted that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been engaging with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) to explore the possibility of setting up a network of Transient sites on an all Island basis and is considering the next steps including exploring it further with the Housing Agency.

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