Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 974: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will provide full details of all Traveller specific units of accommodation completed during the years of 2005, 2006, 2007; the location and type of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39024/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested is published in the annual reports of the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (NTACC), copies of which are available in the Oireachtas library and on my Department's website at www.environ.ie

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 975: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress that has been made in the matter of the provision of the Traveller transient halting sites in the greater Dublin region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39025/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The position regarding transient halting sites in the greater Dublin area is outlined in the Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) of the relevant local authorities, which are available from those authorities.

In accordance with the provisions of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual TAPs rests with individual housing authorities. My Department's role is to ensure that there is an adequate legislative and financial system in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation.

The relevant legislation requires each authority, in preparing their TAPs, to address the existing accommodation needs of Travellers and the projected need that will arise during the period of the programmes, across a range of accommodation options, including standard social housing and traveller-specific accommodation such as group housing schemes and permanent and transient halting sites. In August 2008, my Department issued a memorandum to all local authorities on the preparation, adoption and implementation of their TAPs for the period 2009-2013, requesting them to have regard to the need for transient sites in the preparation of their TAPs.