Professor Michelle Norris:

I agree that in an ideal world, decisions regarding the location and delivery of Traveller-specific accommodation would be reached on the basis of consultation and agreement with local communities. The issue is that this has not worked in large parts of the country from the 1960s when the State first got involved in this area. The situation in respect of Traveller accommodation has reached emergency levels. There are approximately 600 families camping on the roadside. The legislation provides eviction powers and, as such, any of those families could be instructed by the Garda to move on within 24 hours. That is a big driver of overcrowding on halting sites, which we flag in the report. None of the overcrowding on halting sites is authorised by local authorities, which devote much time to policing it. Families simply have nowhere else to go. They face their caravan, their only asset in life, being impounded by the Garda.

The data indicate that the situation in respect of Traveller homelessness is not superb. It is a serious issue for Traveller families with children. There are slightly more than 500 Travellers in homeless accommodation in the Dublin region. They make up 19% of the homeless population in Dublin even though Travellers make up less than 1% of the national population. It is an emergency situation which is getting worse. As such, we believe an emergency intervention is necessary, namely, the suspension of Part 8 applications. We make that proposal not because it is an ideal solution but, rather, because the situation in respect of Traveller accommodation is at such an emergency level that this intervention is warranted.

On how we envisage it would operate, the sequence of events is set out in section 6.3 of the report. We recommend that the national Traveller accommodation consultative committee be strengthened. It is currently an advisory committee. A general theme in the provision of Traveller accommodation is that there are many advisory bodies doing much good work and coming up with recommendations but those recommendations are not implemented. We recommend that the national Traveller accommodation consultative committee be strengthened, properly staffed and given responsibility for active monitoring of the planning and provision of Traveller accommodation. That should include making the data more robust. For instance, the compilation of data on failure to initiate Part 8 proceedings would be a big help. Part of its role would involve monitoring local Traveller accommodation plans. Those would still be put together by local authorities with input from elected members and local authorities. It would also monitor the translation of local Traveller accommodation plans into local development plans. We have recommended that the timeframe for the various planning stages be changed such that they occur concurrently. Development plans currently happen over a different timeframe from Traveller accommodation plans etc., which creates problems that undermine implementation.

Crucially, we suggest the new authority would have powers in circumstances where it is of the opinion that a Traveller accommodation plan has not been translated properly into the development plan. For instance, if sites for accommodation had not been specified, the authority would have the power to go to the Office of the Planning Regulator, which could intervene and require that to be addressed in the plan. That is one particular blockage. Elected members would still have a role in making these decisions but there would be the possibility for intervention at central level in cases of inadequate planning. The authority would also monitor the implementation of plans locally. Where there was non-implementation of plans, it could go to the regulator, which has the legal powers to review that and recommend to the Minister that he or she enforce implementation. It would be a process where there is a body driving implementation. It is not just about making plans and consulting. Where there is no implementation, adequate intervention may address many of the problems.