Mr. David Silke:

I thank Deputy Barry for his comments. It is important to say with regard to the individual family living in the field that the Traveller population has grown over the past 20 or 30 years and the number of families living in unauthorised sites has remained constant at approximately 500. It is a big issue that has not been dealt with over time. A lot of Travellers have moved into Traveller-specific accommodation or standard local authority accommodation, but a substantial group of families are still living in unauthorised sites which, as has been described, are very unsuitable for people to live in. I hope the expert group will be able to examine what can be done to help these families.

An issue regarding Spring Lane was also mentioned. This is reflected in the report we conducted on the need to consult Traveller families about their long-term requirements. As families grow, their requirements change, and Travellers have a tradition of living close to their families. This is something on which local authorities need to reflect in their planning process to ensure Traveller-specific accommodation can deal with it.