Number of Travellers on roadside has risen

The number of Traveller families living by the side of the road has increased for the first time in 10 years, new figures from the Department of the Environment show.

The increase is despite legislation introduced in 1998 mandating every local authority in the State to draw up Traveller accommodation plans to "house" all Travellers in their areas.

As well as the increase in numbers living by the side of the road, there has been an increase in the number being forced to "share" or "double up" with other families on serviced halting sites, often because they have been evicted from public land under the 2001 anti-trespass legislation.

Figures gathered by the department as part of its annual Traveller count show there were 7,691 Traveller families in 2006 - an increase of 425, or 5.8 per cent, compared with 2005's figure of 7,266.

The number of families living on unauthorised sites - or by the side of the road - increased by 40 in the same period, from 589 to 629.

Living in such conditions is characterised by the absence of electricity, running water, toilet facilities and refuse collection.

The number sharing either official, serviced sites or houses has increased from 538 families in 2005 to 582 in 2006 - an increase of 44 families.

Taking the number of families living by the side of the road and in shared facilities there are now 1,211 Traveller families (15 per cent of the total population) living in "dangerously sub-standard accommodation" according to Claire Davey, national accommodation officer with the Irish Traveller Movement.

"This figure is higher than 10 years ago when local authorities were under no obligation to provide accommodation," she said.

"The figures highlight the lack of progress being made by the local authorities in providing Traveller accommodation under the statutory obligations to do so."

She said the fact that there was no national mechanism to hold local authorities to account meant they could fail to deliver on their plans with impunity.

She also said there was a "clear policy" of trying to "force Travellers to settle". She pointed to figures showing that the number of families on official, serviced sites had fallen, from 1,321 in 2004, to 1,203 in 2005 to 1,131 last year.

Meanwhile, numbers in private rented accommodation had increased dramatically, from 696 families in 2005 to 935 in 2006.

There was pressure, said Ms Davey, to develop land on which halting sites had been provided for residential or retail purposes.

A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said it should be noted that over €70 million had been spent on accommodation specifically for Travellers between 2005 and 2006.