State pays €370m over 10 years for Traveller housing - Ireland

From the independent.ie

The State spent about €370m to provide housing and other halting site accommodation for Travellers between 2000 and 2010, according to a report submitted by the Government to an EU justice and equality body.

The figures for money spent under the Traveller Accommodation Act, which compels local authorities to supply housing and halting sites for Travellers, had not been previously published in full.

Parliamentary questions were asked and press queries made about the amounts being spent under the Traveller Accommodation Act of 1998, but the full extent of the spending was buried for years.

However, in a submission entitled "Ireland's National Traveller/Roma Integration Strategy", the Government gave specific figures for money spent on providing accommodation and other services to Travellers. The report is published on an EU website.

It also contains details of how 96 per cent of Travellers living in rented accommodation have their rents paid by the Department of Social Protection.

In its section on "Traveller-specific Accommodation", in the period 2000 to 2004, it says €130m "was expended on such accommodation (new and refurbished)".

In the 2005 to 2008 period, "an additional €142.55m was spent on the provision of Traveller-specific accommodation".

For the period 2008-2010 a further €98.5m was spent providing accommodation.

It refers to a "significant increase in the number of families living in private rented accommodation", demonstrating that the private rental market has become much more open to Travellers.

Of the 2,380 families recorded as living in private rented accommodation, 96 per cent receive assistance in meeting their accommodation costs either through the payment of rent supplement (by the Department of Social Protection) or through the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

"With the number of families accommodated using the Rental Accommodation Scheme continually increasing, private rented accommodation has become a viable and more secure long-term accommodation option.

"Travellers living in private rented accommodation remain on their local authority housing list and are offered permanent accommodation in line with their needs assessment and the local authority's scheme of letting priorities."

It adds: "Travellers are free to express a preference for any form of accommodation, including halting site accommodation, through the statutory Assessment of Housing Needs carried out by local authorities.

"Although some Traveller support groups argue that local authorities are not providing sufficient halting site accommodation, the Assessment of Housing Need shows that the demand for sites has declined considerably."

The report details payments per annum between 2008 and 2010 by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government via local authorities. In 2008 some €44.7m was paid out; in 2009 the figure was €29m and in 2010 it was €24.8m.

On top of the accommodation costs, the Department of Enterprise paid out €957,000 for Traveller-specific jobs training through FAS in 2008, €509,000 in 2009 and €574,000 in 2010.

The Health Service Executive paid €9.36m in Traveller health and support initiatives in 2008, €9.9m in 2009 and €9.56m in 2010

The Department of Justice provided funding for "integration, mediation and participation, representation and communication" – including funding the Pavee Point Traveller organisation – of, on average, €1m a year between 2008 and 2010.

And the Department of Education spent €8.77m on Traveller-specific teaching projects in 2008, some €79.5m in 2009 and €75.6m in 2010.

The totals on government payments to Traveller-specific projects is put at €134m in 2008, €119m in 2009 and €111m in 2010.

While the report is also aimed at providing detail of provisions for members of the eastern European gypsy groups, who have come here in large numbers in the past 10 years, it contains little specifics and no detail on spending for the "Roma" community other than the provision of 10 care workers in a pilot scheme in Co Clare.

So far, the main European Union states have blocked moves by elements within the EU Commission who want to extend the Irish-style accommodation and welfare benefits policies to the Roma gypsies, who have spread throughout western Europe since the EU enlargement in 2004. France and Italy forcibly deport Romas who are found begging and have blocked moves to adopt the Irish model.

The European Justice Commission, on whose website the Irish submission on Travellers and Roma gypsies was published, last Monday marked International Roma Day with Justice Minister Alan Shatter issuing a statement on the importance of implementing strategies that "will ensure that the plight of the Roma is properly considered in the four priority areas of education, employment, healthcare and housing."

In many areas where halting sites and housing have been provided, the accommodation has been well cared for and provides permanent and safe accommodation to families who have been previously living on the side of roads.

However, several halting sites and houses have been destroyed as a result of feuding. There are also persistent complaints in many areas of sites being used for unauthorised disposal of waste.