Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 12 October 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Traveller Accommodation: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Photo of Peter BurkePeter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One of my frustrations has been the lack of data. That is why one recommendation in the report was to have a specific Traveller identifier contained within social housing application forms. That would give us a better handle on what the requirements are from the Traveller community.

A number of reports carried out, one of which was independently evaluated in County Mayo, suggest that not all members of the Traveller community want specific Traveller accommodation. Many want standard social housing. In the first instance, we have not captured data that specifically identifies the State's resources going into standard housing accommodation. We do not have a specific resource that indicates the demand coming from the Traveller community. In the communities I visited and the halting sites I stood in, many Travellers told me that they want standard social housing provision. We need to determine what the exact requirement is. A number of these schemes are being pushed aggressively. In regard to circulars, in the last six months, I have twice written to the chief executives of the 31 local authorities - as recently as two weeks ago - reminding them of their responsibility to spend the capital budget to make conditions better for all vulnerable members of the Travelling community throughout the State. I have been as robust as possible within the remit of my powers in doing that.

The second part of the data will be obtained by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, in the upcoming census of next April. We need to see the Traveller community reflected in that data compilation. One can then judge the State's response to Traveller accommodation needs, and how it is providing services, against the demands of that community. We want to put the community first and then critically evaluate where we are in that regard. We are working hard with the CSO to ensure that, through the local authority network, all Traveller families are counted and that the data will indicate what the exact requirements are for particular families living in Traveller accommodation sites throughout this State. We are working hard to deliver that.

On the remediation works, I alluded to the audit of 250 sites for Covid preparedness that highlighted the need for a number of remedial schemes and works to be carried out during Covid to ensure safety in many of the Traveller accommodation halting sites. We were to the forefront in doing that work. The HSE led a process, throughout Covid, in identifying risks in the halting site network and we responded to requests for funding to make Traveller families as safe as possible through the pandemic. I acknowledge that members of the Traveller community responded well to that and have gained trust in us as we show them that we mean business in solving the problems encountered.

I know the local authority network comes in for a lot of criticism, but many of them are doing their best. However, we must acknowledge they need to do more. I am being honest and am to the forefront in my engagement with them to ensure that the greatest pressure is applied to where the need is most acute. Under the Act, they have responsibility in this area. I note the issue of extra staffing resources in the Custom House was raised. We must consider what our responsibilities in the Custom House are and what the larger stakeholder groups, throughout Government, responsibilities are. Our job is to ensure that the resources are put where they are most needed to resolved many of the blockages in this area.

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