Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views regarding the provision of Traveller accommodation by local authorities; the number of indigenous families in respect of each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28427/07]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Since the enactment of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, each local authority has adopted two successive Traveller Accommodation Programmes. In the course of the first programmes, covering the period 2000 to 2004, some 1,371 additional Traveller families were provided with permanent, secure accommodation. Over the same period there was a 50% reduction in the number of families living on unauthorised sites, down from 1,207 families 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 1,001 units of new and refurbished Traveller specific accommodation having been provided so far. Expenditure to date on the second programmes exceeds €90 million.

One of the significant developments during the period of both Traveller Accommodation Programmes has been the establishment of structures and mechanisms at both national and local level to ensure that all services provided to Travellers by statutory agencies, including accommodation, are delivered in a more effective and co-ordinated way. In that context, my Department continues to work in partnership with the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee, in facilitating the development of strategies at national level to further improve the accommodation position of Travellers and to accelerate its provision. At local authority level, Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committees have been established to advise on the provision and management of accommodation for Travellers.

Broader Traveller-related issues are addressed at national level by the High Level Group on Traveller Issues, chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. This group works closely with my Department to ensure effective co-ordination, at local level, of the provision of all services to Travellers. In that context, local authorities, through the City/County Development Boards, are actively engaged in putting the necessary structures in place to ensure effective liaison and co-ordination of services provision to Travellers, using an inter-agency approach.

I propose to circulate with the Official Report a tabular statement setting out the number of Traveller families located in each local authority area. The figures are based on the Annual Count of Traveller families undertaken by local authorities in November, 2006.