Traveller and Roma Policy in Ireland
Accomodation
Members of the Roma community in Ireland are not required to register their presence in the State. They have the same rights as any other citizen from their country of origin legally resident in this State.
The following is the position regarding the Traveller Community in Ireland:
1. Legislation is in place to assist Traveller Families meet their housing requirements
The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides the legislative framework within which housing authorities meet the accommodation needs of Travellers. The Act represents a planned, integrated and comprehensive response to the accommodation needs of Traveller families in need of accommodation. The provisions of the Act provide for public input and consultation at all stages of the preparation and implementation of Traveller Accommodation Programmes.
2. National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (NTACC)
The National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (NTACC) was established on a statutory basis in April 1999 under the provisions of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998 to advise the Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government on Traveller accommodation issues . The term of office of the members of the fifth National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (NTACC) will run until September 2016.
3. Funding
The Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government provides 100% of the capital cost for Traveller specific accommodation and services for Irish Travellers, including
· constructing, redeveloping and refurbishing serviced permanent residential caravan parks;
· providing temporary and transient residential caravan parks;
· constructing and refurbishing group housing schemes;
· constructing / acquiring housing for Travellers in certain circumstances.
Irish Traveller families are also accommodated in local authority social housing dwellings, which are funded through the main local authority social housing programmes. The vast majority of Irish Traveller families are accommodated in mainstream housing (standard social housing, private rented accommodation, private houses assisted by local authorities, and housing funded from their own resources) in line with preferences expressed under the housing needs assessment process.
The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government also finances the recoupment of Social Workers and Caretakers salaries along with management and maintenance cost for Traveller-specific accommodation each year. In addition, the Department provides for:
· recoupment to local authorities of 50% of the cost of providing caravans to Travellers in emergency cases;
· recoupment to local authorities of a special grant of €3,810 payable to Travellers for the first time purchase of a house;
· recoupment to local authorities of a special grant of 10% of the cost up to a maximum of €640 to a Traveller family who are purchasing a caravan for the first time.
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