Mr. Paul Benson:

I hear what the Vice Chairman is saying and it has some merit. I make the point, however, that all of the Traveller-specific accommodation that has been provided by local authorities went through the Part VIII process successfully. There was quite an amount of Traveller accommodation built right through the 2000s, up to 2008 and 2009, which went through the Part VIII process successfully. That process has not changed. Much of the fall-off in delivery that we have seen has been to do with the economic collapse and recession, as well as the struggle local authorities experienced as they tried to get back into a space where they were building. This area, in particular, is resource greedy. It is hard work and it has taken time but I think there is movement in that regard.

As to what will happen to the Part VIII - whether it remains as is, the recommendations of the expert group are implemented or Part VIII powers are taken from the elected members and given to the chief executive or An Bord Pleanála - it is not clear from the expert report which of these options the group wants to see. The project has been established and that work will be progressed. People will be consulted and a decision will be made as to what to do with Part VIII but it is not the only reason Traveller accommodation is not being provided in the numbers we all want to see.