A new, unofficial policy of forcing Travellers "out of sight and out of mind" is indicated in the first progress report on Traveller accommodation, Traveller advocacy groups have said.
The report, Review of the Operation of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, was published yesterday by the Minister of State for Housing, Mr Noel Ahern.
The review, which was carried out by the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee examines how successful local authorities have been in delivering accommodation to Travellers over the last five years.
Department of the Environment figures quoted in the report show 788 Traveller families are still living by the side of the road, down from over 1,200 in 1999.
Mr Martin Collins, assistant director of Pavee Point, said he was disappointed to see, however, that there were also 323 families sharing basic facilities with other families. With a further 352 families in emergency and temporary facilities, he said there was a total of 1,463 Traveller families - 22 per cent of the total - "still living without permanent quality accommodation five years after the adoption of the local Traveller accommodation programmes.
"This report would seem to indicate a new unofficial policy towards Traveller accommodation of 'out of sight, out of mind' by forcing Travellers into general housing schemes by not providing sufficient Traveller-specific accommodation."
He said there seemed to be a policy of reducing the number of families on the roadside through forcing them "into already overcrowded, unhealthy and unsanitary existing temporary sites".
Father Stephen Monaghan of the Parish of the Travelling People said the level of accommodation provision over the past five years had been "disappointing".
Mr Collins "once again" called on the Government to establish a national Traveller accommodation agency "without delay". Such an agency would take responsibility for Traveller accommodation out of local authorities' hands.
Though the report recommended that the establishment of an agency be examined, Mr Ahern, yesterday said it was not required. While local authorities had made strides in the provision of Traveller accommodation, more needed to be done, he said
