Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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277. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to include Traveller specific accommodation developments in the quarterly social housing construction pipeline report. [51252/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department publishes a quarterly Social Housing Construction Status Report, which provides information on the status of many of the various social housing new build projects underway nationally. The report includes details of schemes being progressed by the local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies.

A dedicated budget is in place to fund the delivery of Traveller-specific accommodation, based on the requirements identified in the local Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs). The funding supports the delivery of various types of accommodation including group housing, halting sites and the refurbishment of existing units.

In line with the commitment in Rebuilding Ireland, and reflecting the disappointing level of overall funding drawdown in recent years, in 2017 the Housing Agency commissioned a review of funding for Traveller-specific accommodation to date. This review had regard to targets contained in local authority TAPs and actual delivery, the current status of accommodation funded and funding provided for accommodation maintenance and other supports. Following its consideration of the review, the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee recommended that an Independent Expert Group be established to examine and make recommendations on issues regarding Traveller accommodation policy, strategy and implementation. The work of this Expert Group is now underway with a report from the Group expected early in 2019.

In the context of this work, my Department will also review the reporting arrangements on the delivery of Traveller-specific accommodation.