Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In line with the commitment in Rebuilding Ireland, in 2017 the Housing Agency commissioned an independent expert review of funding for Traveller specific accommodation.  The review had regard to targets contained in the local authority Traveller accommodation programmes, actual delivery, the current status of accommodation funded and funding provided for accommodation maintenance and other supports. 

Following its consideration of the review which showed that more than 3,000 units which the Government had hoped would be delivered had not been, the national Traveller accommodation consultative committee, NTACC, agreed to the establishment of an expert group to examine and make recommendations on issues regarding Traveller accommodation policy, strategy and implementation.  The committee recently submitted to me the proposed terms of reference for the expert group.  It is correct to say there has been a long delay in this process, with which I am unhappy. However, we have engaged with the committee to get it moving and there has been some progress in the past couple of months. It is my intention to establish the group as soon as possible, with a view to it concluding its work within a short timeframe. 

The expert group will consult relevant stakeholders at local and national level, including Traveller representative organisations and other stakeholder groups represented on the NTACC and local Traveller accommodation consultative committees.  Such consultation will include an invitation for written submissions and a series of national and regional workshops. My Department will consider recommendations made by the expert group to improve the delivery of Traveller accommodation nationally and ensure full use is made of the increasing level of funding available for this purpose, which is €12 million this year.

I hope the expert group can be appointed in the next couple of days. We have been in contact with the people who have been nominated and selected through a process who will I hope all say "yes." If they do not, we will move to the next choices, but I hope we will have an answer this week and be able to get moving. It has taken far too long, but it is important that we move as quickly as we possibly can. I compliment the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government on the work it will do in conjunction with the expert panel to track its work and work with it. This House, taxpayers and the Department are playing their part by increasing the budget, but we have to make sure the money will be spent. That is the key issue in the context of the review.

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