Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the budget allocation for traveller accommodation allocated by his Department each year since 2007; the amount of this expended each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54995/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller accommodation programmes, designed to meet the accommodation needs of Travellers, 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. My Department provides 100% capital funding to housing authorities for Traveller-specific accommodation. Traveller families are also accommodated in local authority social housing dwellings, which are funded through the main local authority social housing programme. The capital allocations and amounts recouped in respect of Traveller-specific accommodation over the period 2007-2012 are set out in the following table.

*Outturn figures for 20 12 are not available at this time

Furthermore, in recognition of the particular difficulties being experienced by the Traveller community, my Department has provided specific accommodation-related supports to operate in tandem with the capital programme. Funding has been provided in respect of:

- 90% of the salary and expenses of social workers employed by local authorities and voluntary bodies to work with Travellers

- a percentage of costs for the management and maintenance of halting sites, with a view to securing a high standard of up-keep on sites.

The amounts recouped to local authorities for these purposes since 2007 are set out in the following table.