Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Kathleen Lynch for raising this matter which I am taking on behalf of my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe.

In dealing with the specific issue concerning the replacement of mobile homes for Traveller families in Cork city, it is worthwhile briefly to examine the accommodation position of Traveller families across all local authorities.

The most recent annual count of Traveller families in November 2007 showed a total of 8,099 families nationally, an increase of 408 families on the previous year. There has been a steady increase in numbers over recent years, with a 42% increase recorded since the first Traveller accommodation programmes began in 2000.

Of the 8,099 Traveller families, a significant proportion, 5,537, 68%, have opted for standard, non-Traveller specific accommodation. For the most part, these houses are provided by local authorities and financed out of the Department's capital allocations for social housing. The figures for Cork city show there are 291 Traveller families living there, 67 of whom are accommodated on halting site bays.

Under the Traveller accommodation programmes prepared in accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, the provision, management and maintenance of Traveller accommodation is the responsibility of local authorities. The Department's role is to provide the necessary funding to meet the cost of the provision and refurbishment of Traveller-specific accommodation. The full cost of these works is provided to local authorities by way of capital grant.

Since the enactment of the 1998 legislation, each local authority has adopted two successive Traveller accommodation programmes. In the course of the first programmes, covering 2000 to 2004, some 1,371 additional Traveller families were provided with permanent, secure accommodation at a cost of €130 million. Over the same period there was a 50% reduction in the number of families living on unauthorised sites, down from 1,207 at the start of the programmes to 601 families at their completion.

Significant progress is being made nationally under the second Traveller accommodation programmes 2005 to 2008, with some 477 units of new and refurbished Traveller-specific accommodation having been provided so far. Expenditure to date on the second programmes exceeds €107 million.

During the first Traveller accommodation programme, Cork City Council built a new group housing scheme in Mahon and carried out significant refurbishment works to halting sites at Hollyhill and Carrigrohane Road. Over the course of the second programme, Cork City Council spent a total of €883,700, of which some €466,000, almost 53% of the total, related to emergency replacement of caravans on halting sites. Expenditure on emergency replacement of caravans nationally over the same period amounted to €1.4 million, with Cork City Council accounting for around one third of the total spend.

In framing Traveller accommodation policy, the Department is mindful of the need to facilitate those families who wish to pursue a nomadic lifestyle. To this end, it provides financial assistance through a scheme of loans and grants for the purchase of caravans for Travellers. Loans up to a maximum of €6,350, to be repaid over five years, are made available by local authorities. There is also a one-off grant of up to 10% of cost, up to a maximum of €635, for Travellers purchasing their first caravan.

The Department also provides funding towards the cost of emergency replacement of caravans resulting from events such as storm or fire damage. Usually 50% of the replacement cost is provided. In certain exceptional circumstances, the full cost may be met.

There are recurring requests for funding for emergency caravan replacement by Cork City Council with around 40 of the 98 caravans replaced since 2004 located in Cork city. In some instances, caravans were replaced more than once for individual Traveller families in that period. The Department raised this issue at a recent meeting with officials of Cork City Council to ensure future Traveller accommodation programmes deliver quality accommodation at optimum cost, while having regard to the needs and preferences of Traveller families.

Capital allocations for Traveller-specific accommodation for 2008 will be announced presently. I am confident the allocation to Cork City Council will enable it to implement a substantial and appropriate programme of work for 2008.

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