Irish Travellers Movement

Task Force Report

Source: Task Force Report, Dept. of Justice, Equality and Law Reform 1995

Approach to Accommodation for Travellers
In its approach to the accommodation section of its terms of reference the Task Force took the view that all types of accommodation, including transient halting sites, should be available to Travellers and identified a two-pronged approach to Traveller accommodation in the period 1995-2000.

The first is the provision of Traveller specific accommodation. This is accommodation designed around the distinct needs of Travellers. Within this approach three categories are required:
(i) Group Housing
(ii) Permanent halting sites
(iii) Transient sites.

The second is the inclusion of Travellers in mainstream housing programmes. This principally relates to Traveller accommodation in local authority estates.

Traveller mobility as it is structured at present has meant that many Travellers experience a range of different types of accommodation over their lifetime. It is important to recognise this in the provision of Traveller accommodation. Equally, it is important to recognise that the provision of Traveller specific accommodation is the desired option of many Travellers; for them it cannot therefore be viewed as an interim solution prior to settlement.

The Task Force Report recommended a total of 2,200 units of Traveller specific accommodation be provided by 2000, To date the latest figures that we have, the Annual Count Figures carried out in November 2004, an additional 315 units were provided, it is important to remember that not all of these are permanent, we could estimate going from other figures that approx 30% of these would be permanent: approx 95 units of permanent Traveller specific accommodation has been provided.

NATIONAL STRATEGY ON TRAVELLER ACCOMMODATION

Based on the Task Force Report, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government have developed the following guidelines to shape Government policy on Traveller accommodation. They are gradually being implemented and the following table details the progress of this implementation so far.