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.
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.
The original pilot programme for the Caravan Loan Scheme in 2021 had insufficient applications to provide evidence for an enduring scheme. A circular issued from my Department to all local authorities on 18 July 2022 informing them of the commencement of the extended pilot Caravan Loan Scheme. The Scheme is to support the provision of Traveller-specific accommodation through local authorities providing preferential loans to Travellers to purchase their own caravan or mobile home for use as their primary residence. Loans may be advanced to an applicant assessed by the local authority as being in need of accommodation (either on the social housing waiting list or in need of an upgraded caravan or mobile as their principal residence) and not in a position to provide for same partially or fully from their own resources.
The extended pilot scheme is limited to the provision of up to 75 caravans or €3 million expenditure, whichever is the lessor, nationwide until the end of 2022. On completion of the pilot, my Department will review the operation of the pilot scheme with input from the local authorities and other stakeholders. A report will be prepared for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and options for an enduring scheme will be considered at the conclusion of this process.
