Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The budget allocation is based on what the local authorities believe to be the level of Traveller need. How much money is needed to fix the problem? That figure is probably much higher than the amount the local authorities believe is needed to meet Traveller needs.

The Minister of State spoke of the type and quality of build. We must also remember the importance of managing housing stock. In my local authority, this has been a problem with the social housing stock, never mind Traveller accommodation stock. One of the biggest weaknesses of the local authorities is that they do not manage their stock of properties on an ongoing basis. Management is one part of addressing that failure. The Minister of State indicated that he will continue to communicate with the committee. I ask him to invite members to some of the processes.