The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist housing authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding. Social Inclusion Unit is responsible for overseeing implementation of the 1998 Act.
The Act provides that 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 issues a funding circular annually to local authorities that sets out the overall Exchequer provision available for Traveller-specific accommodation in the year including the criteria for applying for funding and applications from local authorities are considered accordingly.
My Department ceased the practice of allocating specific budgets to individual local authorities following a review of arrangements for the disbursement of funding provision and related supports for Traveller-specific accommodation. Since 2020, it is open to all local authorities to apply for and drawdown funds at any time throughout the year and this is actively encouraged by my Department. Full spend of the Traveller accommodation budget has been achieved for the past 5 years from 2020 to 2024. In 2025, the budget allocation for capital funding is €23 million and current funding is €7 million. Local authorities are supported through the current funding provision to provide for Traveller Liaison Officers and other Traveller accommodation support staff.
