Vol. 253 Wednesday, No. 5 27 September 2017 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SEANAD ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Insert Date Here 27/09/2017A00100Business of Seanad 315 27/09/2017A00300Commencement Matters 316 27/09/2017A00400Traveller Accommodation 316 27/09/2017B00500Building Regulations ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������318 27/09/2017C01125Local Authority Members’ Remuneration 322 27/09/2017D01300Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors 325 27/09/2017G00100Order of Business 327 27/09/2017W00100Mid-Term Review of Capital Plan: Statements 342 27/09/2017FF00100Visit of Czech Delegation �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������361 27/09/2017FF00500Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill 2016: Committee Stage 361 27/09/2017QQ00200Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage �����������������������������������������������������������������������������387 27/09/2017ZZ00037Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages 403 27/09/2017DDD01350Business of Seanad 416 SEANAD ÉIREANN Dé Céadaoin, 27 Meán Fómhair 2017 Wednesday, 27 September 2017 Chuaigh an Cathaoirleach i gceannas ar 1030 am Machnamh agus Paidir. Reflection and Prayer. 27/09/2017A00100Business of Seanad 27/09/2017A00200An Cathaoirleach: I have notice from Senator Colm Burke that, on the motion for the Commencement of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter: The need for the Minister for Health to put in place adequate funding to assist junior doctors involved in medical training I have also received notice from Senator Colette Kelleher of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to provide an update on the review of funding for traveller-specific accommodation and the implementa- tion of the Traveller accommodation programmes I have also received notice from Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to urgently in- troduce a redress scheme for families in counties Donegal and Mayo affected by defective concrete blocks in their homes following the publication of the report of the expert panel in July I have also received notice from Senators Aidan Davitt and Robbie Gallagher, sharing time, of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to provide an update on its intention to improve the terms and conditions for councillors; to outline when the increased €1,000 representational allowance will commence; to provide clarity on the new increased vouched expenses scheme and options for councillors; and if he will address the current financial anomaly with city councillors in Dublin, Galway and Cork. I have also received notice from Senator Neale Richmond of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Health to outline the current status, ownership and future 315 Seanad Éireann plans for the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum I have also received notice from Senator Tim Lombard of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to publish plan- ning guidelines for regulation of solar farms I regard the matters raised by the Senators as being suitable for discussion I have selected Senators Colm Burke, Kelleher, Mac Lochlainn, Davitt and Gallagher and they will be taken now The other Senators may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise 27/09/2017A00300Commencement Matters 27/09/2017A00400Traveller Accommodation 27/09/2017A00500Senator Colette Kelleher: I thank the Minister of State for attending today I welcome the commissioning of the review by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Lo- cal Government into funding for Traveller-specific accommodation and the implementation of the Traveller accommodation programmes It followed a very useful meeting that we had, and I thank the Minister for acting upon that I understand that the housing agency report has been complete since July but it remains unpublished, and I rely on leaked information from The Irish Times article published on 14 September which reported that Traveller accommodation targets have not been fully met at any point since they were made mandatory on local authorities 18 years ago The article in The Irish Times goes on to say that the leaked report concludes that anti-Traveller prejudice at local authority level may be hampering progress If the intention of Government policy and the current legislation is that targets for Traveller accommodation would be met in full and that things would improve it is clearly failing It is failing Traveller women, children and men The report commissioned by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government finds that more than €55 million provided for Traveller housing re- mains unspent since 2000, and just 68% of promised Traveller accommodation units have been provided All the while, Travellers continue to live in shocking conditions, which I have seen myself at first hand. There is unacceptable overcrowding on halting sites Figures from the Department show that the number of Traveller families in need of accommodation since 2000 has more than doubled In this new leaked report, local authorities agreed that overcrowding was an issue, leading to health and safety concerns All stakeholder groups agreed that the future assessment of the needs for Traveller families was unfit for purpose. The second anniversary of those who died in the Carrickmines fire is coming up. More people will die in tragedies if these concerns are not addressed People will continue to live shorter lives and suffer from housing related ill- health I ask the Minister of State what will be done about all of that According to the 2016 census, the Traveller homelessness rate is 11 times higher than the general population. In the last five years the rate of Traveller homelessness has tripled. The leaked report also finds that the private rented accommodation provisions are extremely dif- 316 27 September 2017 ficult for Traveller families to access. Often discrimination and prejudice are getting in the way People are rejected based on their names alone It is a landlord’s market, as the Minister of State knows, yet some local authorities use private rented accommodation as the alternative to staying on waiting list for Travellers seeking access to Traveller-specific accommodation. Figures show a rise from 162 families in 2002 to 2,222 in 2016 This has rendered increasing numbers of families homeless, further fuelling the crisis. Most Traveller-specific housing and social housing in general is provided by local authorities using the Part VIII planning process but the leaked report further found that the most significant obstacle to the delivery of Traveller accommodation is the planning process itself, particularly objections from settled residents and elected representatives, as the Minister of State well knows I note and welcome the Minister’s decision to review the Housing (Traveller Accommoda- tion) Act 1998 However, there must also be a review of legislation that affects Travellers in order to alleviate the crisis For example, the recent amendment to the Planning and Develop- ment (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016, which facilitated developments of more than 100 accommodation units being dealt with directly by An Bord Pleanála without going through local planning processes, could also include Traveller accommodation Legislation should be introduced immediately to implement this change and decisions to approve specific proposals for Traveller-specific accommodation should be taken away from the local political system and vested in An Bord Pleanála There is, at best, systemic apathy and, at worst, prejudice in terms of meeting the accom- modation needs of Travellers An indication of the apathy towards Travellers and their accom- modation is reflected in the participation in this leaked review, as the Minister of State knows, where only 26 out of the 31 local authorities responded to the survey and only 22 submitted with sufficient detail across all questions. Significant gaps were found in local authority reporting and inadequate data-keeping In some cases, there were no standardised recording, reporting and monitoring mechanisms Indeed the deadline for reporting to the Housing Agency, which the Minister commissioned, was extended twice to facilitate poor responses Will the Minister of State tell us when the Housing Agency review will be published and his plans to address the issue raised in the report and the major crisis for Travellers and their housing needs? 27/09/2017B00200Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (Deputy Damien English): I thank Senator Kelleher for providing me with the opportunity to update the House