David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 185: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the further plans he has to improve circumstances of the Traveller community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7637/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's responsibilities in regard to Travellers are to ensure that there is an adequate legislative and financial framework in place within which local authorities, relevant voluntary bodies, and Travellers may provide or be assisted in the provision, management and maintenance of accommodation for Travellers.

The legislative framework is provided by the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, which requires that all relevant local authorities prepare, adopt and implement programmes for the accommodation of Travellers. The full cost of works associated with the construction of new Traveller-specific accommodation and the refurbishment, to modern standards, of existing Traveller-specific accommodation is funded by my Department.

Under the first programmes, which covered the period 2000 to 2004, considerable progress was made in improving the accommodation position of Travellers. An additional 1,371 families were accommodated in permanent accommodation by or with the assistance of local authorities; the number of families on unauthorised sites was reduced from 1,207 at the start of the programmes to 601 at the end of 2004. During the course of these programmes a total of €130 million was provided by my Department to local authorities for the provision and refurbishment of Traveller specific accommodation. This is in addition to expenditure on standard local authority accommodation in which Travellers are also accommodated.

Currently, local authorities are in the process of implementing their second programmes for the period 2005 to 2008. A total of €37 million was provided to local authorities in 2005 for the provision of new Traveller-specific accommodation and the refurbishment to of existing Traveller-specific accommodation. I will shortly be in a position to announce the funding available for 2006. Figures from the local authority annual count of Traveller families, which provide one measure of progress under the programmes, are being compiled in my Department and will be published shortly. I expect these will show that progress in the provision of accommodation for Travellers is continuing.

In addition to this full and comprehensive package of measures already in place I required local authorities, when adopting their 2005 to 2008 programmes, to specify annual targets for the provision of accommodation for Travellers. Progress towards meeting these targets will be closely monitored by the national Traveller accommodation consultative committee and each local authority's progress will be measured against them on an annual basis. I expect a comprehensive report from that committee on these in due course.

In addition to providing the capital cost of Traveller accommodation, my Department also recoups 90% of the costs incurred by local authorities in employing social workers and housing welfare officers working with Travellers. Financial support is also provided to local authorities towards the costs of management and maintenance of Traveller-specific accommodation. Expenditure in this area has amounted to over €27 million since 2000. A study is currently under way to highlight issues arising in regard to the management and maintenance of Traveller-specific accommodation, with a view to assisting local authorities to improve their activities in this area.

My Department continues to take an active part in the high level group on Travellers, which is working to ensure that there is improved co-ordination in the delivery of all services, including accommodation, to Travellers.