Policy For Travellers 1984

Society

Plans to implement a government programme to provide housing, education and healthcare for Travellers.

The government policy statement on Travellers deals with housing, education, health and employment. It comes in the wake of a flare-up between Travellers and residents in Tallaght, County Dublin.

The main recommendation of the statement is that city and county managers be given the final say on Traveller housing. This proposed change takes the matter out of the hands of local councillors. This change will remove the problem of councillors saying they do not want halting sites in their areas.

Monitoring of the overall programme for Travellers will be the responsibility of a small special committee chaired by Victor Bewley. He will report to Minister for Health Barry Desmond.

Halting sites will generally provide places for ten families and plans for six more sites in Dublin are to be submitted by September 1984.

Sites in future will be managed by joint committees of local authorities, Travellers and communities.

The policy statement document places more emphasis on the accommodation programme for Travellers. It also recognises the need for better health services, educational support and vocational training centres for Travellers.

Local authorities are to clear unauthorised halting sites and the Casual Trading Act is to be effectively enforced.

Minister for State at the Department of the Environment Fergus O'Brien says that residents object to halting sites in their areas. The public will come on board when they experience a properly organised approach to sites,

They will then be prepared to organise and manage them.

Victor Bewley welcomes the government’s level of commitment to Travellers. In terms of areas such as Tallaght, he believes the problem there will be solved as part of an overall programme,