Mr. Paul Benson:

There is a recommendation from the expert group that we look at that. A key area that has been highlighted is the lack of amenity or play facilities on some Traveller-specific accommodation sites and particular halting sites. There is nothing for children. We hope to address that.

It is some time since the design standards for Traveller-specific accommodation, whether group housing schemes or halting sites, have been updated. A lot has changed in terms of building regulations and standards, people's expectations and the State's obligations, so we need to update those. That work will be starting. It is one of the 18 recommendations from the expert group being worked on at the moment.

Innovations are happening in terms of Traveller accommodation. Traditionally, group housing schemes were always stand-alone. We have a couple of examples now where they have been incorporated into normal social housing estates. It is hoped they will work well. It is potentially a successful model and might make it easier to deal with some of the difficulties around Part VIII and the difficulties local authorities encounter in bringing Traveller-specific accommodation through the planning process. There are a couple of good examples and maybe a way forward.

There are innovations and people are thinking about different ways to do things to improve the lot.