Local authorities have under spent their budgets for Traveller accommodation by more than €50 million in the last six years, prompting claims from campaigners that many families are being assimilated into the settled community.
Figures released by the Department of the Environment show local authorities spent €119 million out of a €170 million budget allocation between 2007 and 2012. Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and Cork County Council were the three councils with the biggest underspend, at over €24 million between them.
Jan O’Sullivan, Minister of State for Housing and Planning at the Department of the Environment, said the budget underspend “is something that needs to be addressed”.
“It is an issue I intend to discuss with officials and I intend to seek the experience of local authorities when examining this issue also,” she said.
Opposition to halting sites
Travellers’ groups blame resistance by local authority officials and elected councils for not prioritising Traveller housing and for opposing halting sites and group housing schemes.
“There is a pattern of assimilation with the move into standard housing. A culture is being killed off and the knock-on effects are huge amounts of mental health issues for Travellers,” says Colette Spears, accommodation worker with the Irish Traveller Movement.
The figures come as a Council of Europe report last week criticised a “lack of political will on the part of local authorities” in delivering Traveller housing. It highlighted “significant challenges” Travellers face on accommodation.
Reticence by local authorities and local residents was “particularly disturbing”, it said. It called on the Government to bring in binding measures to force local authorities to ensure Traveller accommodation was delivered.
“All councils have to do at the moment is publish plans for Traveller accommodation. They don’t have to implement them,” said Ronnie Fay of Pavee Point.
Demand fall-off
Local authorities, however, say there is a fall-off in demand for Traveller accommodation, with many opting for standard housing. Donegal County Council is planning to close the two remaining halting sites in the county because of a lack of demand.
“We haven’t identified a need for that type of accommodation,” said Patrick McLaughlin, senior executive officer of housing in Donegal.
Clare County Council decided in December to stop building Traveller-specific housing because of high vacancy rates due to “inter-Traveller feuding, violence and intimidation”.
Traveller accommodation
South Dublin County Council provides the highest amount of Traveller-specific accommodation in the country but for the most part gets requests from Travellers to move into standard housing, says Hugh Hogan, its senior executive officer of housing.
“More are moving from Traveller-specific housing into social housing. Traveller women in particular are looking for better accommodation where it is easier to heat,” he adds.
But there is evidence that Traveller accommodation is being opposed: last year, plans for a transient site in Donegal were halted after councillors voted against it over concerns for traffic safety in the area.
Over two-thirds of Travellers now live in standard accommodation as opposed to 50 per cent 15 years ago, when a law came in tasking local authorities with providing for Travellers’ needs. Fewer Travellers live on halting sites than they did in 1998.
Traveller groups complain that the accommodation, halting sites and group housing schemes for extended Traveller families, are often built without proper consultation with Travellers.