Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 401: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an outline of the work of the national Traveller accommodation consultative committees and the Traveller accommodation unit within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15128/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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The National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (NTACC) was established, on a statutory basis, on 29 April 1999 under sections 19 and 20 of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998. The fourth NTACC was appointed on 22 April 2010 for a period of three years.

The terms of reference of the Committee are to advise the Minister in relation to:

· any general matter concerning accommodation for Travellers;

· any matter referred to it by the Minister;

· the most appropriate measures for improving, at local level, consultation with, and participation of, Travellers in the provision and management of accommodation;

· general matters concerning the preparation, adequacy, implementation and co-ordination of Traveller accommodation programmes.

The work of the NTACC is detailed in its annual reports, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas library and on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. The NTACC Annual Report for 2010 is currently being finalised.

The Traveller Accommodation Unit (TAU) of my Department is responsible for maintaining an effective framework of policy and legislation in relation to Traveller accommodation. The unit is also tasked with overseeing the implementation, through local authorities, of effective Traveller accommodation programmes and providing funding for appropriate and high-quality Traveller specific accommodation. The TAU provides executive and secretarial support for the NTACC, engages with a number of cross-Departmental groups addressing Traveller issues and fulfils various reporting requirements to United Nations and European Union fora.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 402: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied with implementation of legal provisions by local authorities in respect of unauthorised Traveller encampments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15129/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Local authorities have a wide and effective range of powers to deal with unauthorised Traveller encampments. The principal powers of local authorities to deal with the unauthorised placing of temporary dwellings on public property, under legislation coming within the ambit of my Department, are contained in the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1948 and Section 10 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992, as amended by Section 32 of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 and Section 21 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002. The initiation of action under these pieces of legislation is a matter for each local authority.

The relevant provisions of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 concerning entering and occupying land without consent or the bringing of any object onto such land are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality.

While I have no current plans to amend the aforementioned powers available to local authorities, I will continue to keep the effectiveness of these powers under review.