Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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674. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of funding allocated and drawn down by Galway County Council for Traveller accommodation for each site around the county for each of the years 2014 to 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25471/19]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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675. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of funding returned by Galway County Council that had been ring-fenced for Traveller accommodation for each of the years 2014 to 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25472/19]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 674 and 675 together.

In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.

The allocations and recoupment profiles for capital Traveller accommodation projects can vary across local authorities given the local priorities, circumstances and project timelines as set out in the TAPs. Local authorities adopted the fourth and current round of TAPs in April 2014, with the five-year rolling programmes running from 2014 to 2018. These programmes provide a road map for local authority investment priorities over the period. They also form the basis for the allocation of funding from my Department for Traveller accommodation. Preparations are underway for the fifth TAP programme, 2019-2024.

Housing authorities submit funding proposals for individual Traveller-specific projects and developments on an annual basis. These projects are assessed on a case-by-case basis in my Department in advance of allocations being made.There is regular contact between my Department and housing authorities in order to try to ensure maximum progress and drawdown. Local authorities may apply for additional funding throughout the year as needs arise.

The following table sets out the allocation and drawdown for individual sites for Galway County from 2014 to 2018.

Galway County Site Allocation and Drawdown 2014 - 2018