Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for your honesty with regard to some of the questions you have raised about Traveller-specific accommodation. As someone who has been within the Department for only the past 11 or 12 weeks, I have been trying to get to grips with what has been achieved. We did have challenges within local authorities in terms of their delivery, but I have seen huge progress over recent years. You are right that local authorities need to be held accountable. We actually are seeing progress in that regard. Local authorities previously were not even drawing down their full allocations in terms of their capital spend. Now we have seen for four years in a row that each local authority has fully drawn down its allocation to the tune of up to €80 million. In that regard, we see delivery of new halting site units and new group housing units. We see major refurbishments of halting site and group housing schemes, so local authorities are making a substantial difference. To your point, however, more needs to be done, and we will challenge them.

I re-emphasise that local government is a separate entity from central government. The county councillors hold the local authority executive to account in respect of the Traveller accommodation programmes. They compile them and they need to deliver them on the ground within their local areas. We have seen significant multi-annual capital investment and current funding to the tune of over €100 million in a four-year period. We are seeing a change of culture and, I think, a change in how local authorities are asked to deliver Traveller-specific accommodation. We need to continue that progress. Local authorities are supporting Traveller communities not just with Traveller-specific accommodation but also with private rental sector accommodation. That is important to emphasise. Over 13% of Traveller households have been supported through RAS, HAP, rent supplement or long-term leasing. From what I see as to how local authorities are providing accommodation, they have supported over 1,600 households in finding adequate accommodation outside Traveller-specific accommodation.

We need to not just re-emphasise Traveller specific, but other areas where Traveller communities are being supported.

I turn to the caravan loan scheme. It is my intention that the options for a national scheme will be brought forward later this year. I re-emphasise the point that the considerations and views expressed during the pilot need to be reflected on, and we will address the areas and issues that have arisen from the pilot and build on its success. As I said, it has been beneficial to those households and families who have accessed the loan scheme. We need to ensure we can continue to provide adequate accommodation solutions for Travellers. Taking what Deputy Ó Cuív and other members have referenced, I hope to have that report shortly. I will work with Mr. Crowley, the ITM, Bernard Joyce and other Traveller organisations and groups to bring forward a report. I am sure this committee will scrutinise it and ensure it is fit for purpose. We want to ensure that if we deliver a national scheme it delivers for all Traveller families and is fit for purpose. That is important. We will have robust engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, but we need to re-emphasise - to return to Deputy Ó Cuív's point - how important it is for a lot of these families to move to more sustainable accommodation in the future. That is our commitment.