Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1236. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the allocation sought by Cork City Council under the Traveller accommodation programme to fund projects (details supplied). [9269/20]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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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.  

In 2020, to facilitate ease of access to such funding, my Department is no longer allocating specific budgets to individual local authorities. Instead,  it is open to all local authorities to apply for and drawdown funds at any time through the year from the €14.5m in funding available overall.  In 2020 to date, Cork City Council has drawn down €1.3m in funding for Traveller accommodation projects.  In addition to this, the Council has received approval for a further €68,600 in funding for Covid related measures.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1237. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the measures put in place and funded by his Department for Traveller families in north County Cork and Fermoy who have still not been supplied with water or toilets since the Covid-19 outbreak. [9270/20]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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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.   It is a matter for each local authority to assess the adequacy of provisions on sites (both authorised and unauthorised) and implement measures as necessary, taking into consideration advice from the HSE, fire safety guidelines, local area plans, public procurement guidelines and any other considerations relevant to their area.

In response to the COVID-19 health emergency, I and my Department have engaged with local authorities and Traveller representative groups to put a responsive plan in place to address identified and emerging health risks to the Traveller population nationwide, particularly as some members of the Traveller community, such as those living on sites with limited facilities, may be particularly vulnerable.  My Department is in regular contact with the local authorities and is ensuring that funding approvals, where appropriate, are granted as a matter of priority.

To date, Cork County Council have applied for €2,150 funding from the Department for facilitation works to reduce overcrowding as part of their COVID response.