Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
801. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount allocated by the Traveller accommodation unit to each local authority for acquisitions specifically for the Traveller community between 2019 and 2025. [12251/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra802. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria to get approval for funding for Traveller-specific acquisitions from the Traveller accommodation unit; and to outline any changes to these criteria since 2019. [12252/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra803. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications for Traveller-specific acquisitions that have been refused by his Department. [12253/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra804. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Traveller liaison officer roles his Department has funded since 2019; and the number of requests for funding for these roles his Department has denied. [12254/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 801 to 804, inclusive, together.
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 local authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
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 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.
Accommodation for Traveller households is provided across a range of housing options ranging from social housing to Traveller-specific accommodation. The majority of Travellers live in standard housing, for example local authority and Approved Housing Body housing, and this is funded through their respective capital programmes. Funding through the Traveller accommodation capital provision is generally for Traveller-specific accommodation (i.e. halting sites, group housing schemes, transient sites, and caravan/trailer loan scheme).
My Department considers funding of the acquisition of standard housing for Traveller families using the Traveller-specific capital provision in certain exceptional circumstances, such as preventing homelessness or where there is an urgent medical need, and subject to available budget. Applications for acquisitions from the Traveller-specific accommodation budget are considered on a case-by-case basis and approval for acquisitions must be obtained from my Department prior to any purchase by a local authority. A case must be made for such acquisitions, including the provision of a clearly identified need, along with outlining what alternatives were considered and why these were deemed unacceptable. In the most recent 3 years from 2023 to 2025, the Traveller-specific accommodation capital provision funded 59 acquisitions and 10 applications were unsuccessful. In such cases, it is generally on the basis where a property is not considered value for money.
My Department funds local authority staff who support Travellers in respect of their accommodation needs for 90% of their time dedicated to supporting Travellers (pay and travel and subsistence). In 2025, my Department provided funding towards 58 posts, including social workers and Traveller liaison officers related posts, however, the full scope of information sought for such posts back to 2019 is not readily available and its compilation would involve a disproportionate amount of time and work.
