Dr. Conor Norton:

I will answer a couple of the other points that were raised. It is important that there is Traveller representation throughout the process. I will sum up our recommendations across the different areas. We are basically looking for more efficient and integrated practices at different levels, from involvement in a new national agency to greater and closer engagement within the SPCs, for example, at local authority level, in order to direct engagement in TAPs and development plans and in the preparation of individual proposals for Traveller-specific accommodation. Those are critical matters in respect of which the Traveller community needs to be engaged. That will form part of what was mentioned about the great need for integrated planning and design guidance for Traveller accommodation. This is one of our medium to long-term recommendations. Work could commence on that almost immediately. That would look at what best practice is in forming policy and in preparing TAPs or housing strategies that have made proper provision for Traveller accommodation. It would also include guidance on preparing and developing proposals. Although a little dated, the design guidance that is in place would integrate everything and be responsive to the needs of Travellers in particular. This is a key element of one of our long-term proposals and it would underpin practice throughout the planning system.

Members mentioned timelines. We have not provided a matrix or anything of that nature. We have tried to differentiate between immediate actions, short-term actions and the sort of actions we want to end up with. If one takes the planning proposals and recommendations, we see five years as being the likely horizon for making all the changes so that we have a planning system that is fit for purpose, so that we have the policies in place and so that we produce plans that are in line with good practice, etc. Five years would be an outside time period. If we work back to that, circulars, which were mentioned earlier, could be initiated rapidly and we could start working on legislative changes and provisions that have to pass through the normal processes that would take 18 months to two years. The members of the committee are the experts in that area. It is a phased approach but it is probably fair to say we should see this as a five-year project.