Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, I believe local authorities must step up and make their decisions.

In certain areas there appears to be a lack of commitment to making decisions about responsibilities. In other areas, there are complications, sites get complicated and matters are never dealt with. Local authorities must be focused. From what I have seen, while there is a commitment, the resources and staff must be supplied to make things happen. That is something my Department is trying to do in certain areas. We are trying to focus on these matters and officials are available to help people arrive at solutions. There is a combination of reasons. Planning, focus and commitment exist and various processes are involved. As Deputy Casey will know as a former councillor and a Deputy, selecting a site can be an issue. We need to deal with such matters. Planning gains can be used to make the planning process a little bit easier. We will examine different solutions.

In terms of making recommendations, one can do so but I do not want the process delayed. Terms of reference will be discussed at our meeting at 2 o'clock today. Some people from that decision-making body will be here and I urge members to use the occasion of this meeting to make suggestions. I am sure my staff will take their suggestions on board. The terms of reference may not be agreed to today but they will be by the end of March. Members of the committee have time to submit suggestions to the members of the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee, NTACC, or to the Chair of this committee. The members present and any who are listening to this discussion can make suggestions today. I have not dictated the terms of reference. I want them to be as inclusive as possible and to be solution-focused. I also want them to lead to changes that will increase revenue. In some cases, there are legal problems with sites which, again, must be dealt with. There was a reduction in money which meant there was a reduction in the amount of time staff had to work on these projects. We are trying to improve the situation. We must become solution-focused at local authority level. I have discovered cases that have lasted for between 20 and 30 years, which is unacceptable. To be honest, decisions must be made.

We must have a realistic expectation in terms of the number of families that can be accommodated on certain sites. The report has highlighted the need for a genuine assessment and sought greater focus and clarity on same. In some cases, the number of families can increase quite dramatically due to the nature of the accommodation. We must work with the people who live in these communities and ensure they understand what is manageable on a site. We must convey to people the fact that we cannot continue to expand some of the sites and must find suitable accommodation nearby. All sides must move a little in terms of what we can safely accommodate. We must strengthen the relationship with communities and make things easier. That is what we are doing at the moment and we will see whether the expert panel will recommend that changes should be made.

There are two more specific questions. I cannot guarantee the timing. I want the report yesterday. The terms of reference must be signed off this month. Two meetings are scheduled to take place. They could have taken place two months ago but I am not in charge of the schedule. I have asked the chair to convene the meetings as quickly as possible. One meeting will take place this afternoon and a second meeting is scheduled if business cannot be finished today. I hope the terms of reference are cleared in March and that the expert group can be put together in April when they can start their work. I do not see any reason the report cannot be completed and given to us in three months. If it is, then we can deal with this matter over the summer. The report should not take any more than four months. I have no intention of being here in a year's time and still waiting for the report. I cannot promise when it will be completed. Everyone here claims we have not spent enough money, which I accept. We are trying to put the money back in. I want to see the money spent. Clearly, the Government wants this as much as anybody else. We will not delay the delivery of the report. I am not sure whether reports are outstanding but I will check it out.

Questions have been asked about the trend and recommendations. I have addressed the matter. In some areas there are. I get a sense that local authority members want to make progress but they feel they cannot do so for various reasons. I hope the export panel will make suggestions to improve the situation.