{"id":10469,"date":"2022-07-17T21:42:53","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T21:42:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/"},"modified":"2024-05-06T22:56:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T22:56:01","slug":"travellers-accommodation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/","title":{"rendered":"Travellers&#8217; Accommodation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/#Legislation\" title=\"Legislation\">Legislation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/#Assessment_Accommodation_Programme\" title=\"Assessment &amp; Accommodation Programme\">Assessment &amp; Accommodation Programme<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/#Temporary_Dwelling\" title=\"Temporary Dwelling\">Temporary Dwelling<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/#Human_Rights\" title=\"Human Rights\">Human Rights<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/#Sites_for_Caravans\" title=\"Sites for Caravans\">Sites for Caravans<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/2\/#Housing_Act_1988\" title=\"Housing Act 1988\">Housing Act 1988<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/travellers-accommodation\/2\/#Provision_of_sites_for_caravans\" title=\"Provision of sites for caravans.\">Provision of sites for caravans.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Legislation\"><\/span>Legislation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In a number of cases in the mid-1990s taken under the Housing Act 1988 clarified the duty of local authorities to provide halting sites.\u00a0 In broad terms, the local authority was held to have a duty to provide sites for travellers.\u00a0 Under the 1988 Act, development plans must include objectives for the provision of traveller accommodation.<\/p>\n<p>The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 made more specific provision for traveller accommodation.\u00a0 Local authorities were obliged to prepare and adopt traveller accommodation programmes specifying the needs of travellers and provisions to address those accommodation requirements for a five-year period.<\/p>\n<p>The Act also established a national and local travellers&#8217; accommodation consultative committee.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Assessment_Accommodation_Programme\"><\/span>Assessment &amp; Accommodation Programme<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In making the assessment, the local authority must take account of such matters as the Minister may direct.\u00a0 It shall give notice to the local consultative committee and take account of their views.<\/p>\n<p>The local authority must examine the need for temporary sites for use other than where travellers normally live or while awaiting permanent accommodation.\u00a0Local authorities must adopt an accommodation program specifying the accommodation needs of travellers and the provision of accommodation to address those needs.<\/p>\n<p>Where a housing authority fails to adopt an accommodation program or an amendment or replacement of it as required by the date specified, the manager may adopt a draft accommodation program or amendment or replacement of it subject within one month to any modifications which are in the opinion of the manager appropriate. \u00a0\u00a0The program must state the authority\u2019s policy on how the accommodation needs are to be met and the strategy for implementation of the program.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing is to restrict the powers of the manager from exercising authority in emergency situations.\u00a0 Where there is an emergency situation that calls for immediate action without notifying elected members, emergency measures may be taken as are considered urgent and necessary, with regard to public health, safety, and other considerations.\u00a0 These powers may be exercised while the accommodation plans have not yet been finalized by the authority.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Temporary_Dwelling\"><\/span>Temporary Dwelling<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act allows local authorities to make by-laws prohibiting temporary dwellings in their area.\u00a0 They may be prohibited if they are prejudicial to public health or amenities of a locality, could constitute a nuisance, or interfere with traffic.\u00a0 It may constitute a nuisance if it is overcrowded or lacks sanitary facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Temporary dwellings may be removed under the 1992 Act.\u00a0 Travellers within five miles of official halting sites may be moved to that site.\u00a0 The authority may require the removal of a temporary dwelling to a distance of one mile from an official halting site or travellers&#8217; accommodation if it is causing a nuisance to that accommodation or interfering with a public or private amenity or service.<\/p>\n<p>It is an offence to fail to comply with a notice.\u00a0 The local authority may proceed to take the requisite steps to remove the temporary dwelling where the notice is not complied with.\u00a0 Possession of the temporary dwelling may be reclaimed on proof of ownership.\u00a0 If it is not reclaimed in a month, it may be disposed of, subject to certain conditions.<\/p>\n<p>The 2002 Act provides that a person shall not enter or occupy land or bring on to any place any object, including a temporary dwelling, where such entry or occupation is likely to substantially damage the land, affect an amenity or prevent persons from making reasonable use of land, render the land unsanitary, unsafe or substantially interfere with the land.\u00a0 A breach is an offence.\u00a0 The temporary dwelling may be removed and sold after a month.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Human_Rights\"><\/span>Human Rights<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In a number of cases, the courts have shown a willingness to find that a failure to provide traveller accommodation may breach the European Convention on Human Rights.\u00a0 However, the State does not have a positive obligation to make provisions for every traveller family.<\/p>\n<p>Where there are particular circumstances, such as disability and dependent children, a very poor offer of accommodation from the housing authority may be enjoined by the court.\u00a0 Damages have been awarded against local authorities where a disabled traveller family was forced to live in an overcrowded and poorly maintained caravan.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sites_for_Caravans\"><\/span>Sites for Caravans<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The 1988 Act, as amended by the 1998 Act, allows private housing authorities to provide and manage sites for caravans and persons who have traditionally pursued a nomadic way of life.\u00a0 Authorities may provide sites with facilities for use by persons other than their normal place of residence pending permanent accommodation under a traveller&#8217;s accommodation program.<\/p>\n<p>The 1992 legislation gave special summary powers to remove temporary dwellings situated within five miles of a local authority-provided, managed, or controlled halting site.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Housing Act 1988<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>13. [<\/p>\n<h4>Provision of sites for caravans.<\/h4>\n<p>(1) This section applies to persons belonging to the class of persons who traditionally pursue or have pursued a nomadic way of life.<\/p>\n<p>(2) A housing authority may provide, improve, manage and control sites for caravans used by persons to whom this section applies, including sites with limited facilities for the use by such persons otherwise than as their normal place of residence or pending the provision of permanent accommodation under an accommodation programme within the meaning of section 7 of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998, and may carry out any works incidental to such provision, improvement, management or control, including the provision of services for such sites.<\/p>\n<p>(3) [Section 11 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009] shall apply in connection with the provision of sites under this section as it applies in connection with the provision of dwellings under that section.<\/p>\n<p>(4) A housing authority may, in respect of the use of a site provided by them under this section or of any service or facilities provided or made available in connection with such a site make such charges as the housing authority see fit.<\/p>\n<p>(5) Any charge due to a housing authority under subsection (4) shall be recoverable by them as a simple contract debt in a court of competent jurisdiction.<\/p>\n<p>(6) The Minister may issue guidelines for the purpose of this section and a housing authority shall have regard to any such guidelines.<\/p>\n<p>(7) In this section\u2014<br \/>\n\u201ccaravan\u201d means any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another, whether by towing or transport on a vehicle or trailer, and includes a motor vehicle so designed or adapted and a mobile home, but does not include a tent;<br \/>\n\u201csites with limited facilities\u201d means sites which, having regard to the temporary nature of such sites or the short duration of periods of use, have sufficient water, facilities for solid and liquid waste disposal and hard surface parking area for caravans.]<\/p>\n<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-10469\" data-postid=\"10469\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-10469 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Legislation In a number of cases in the mid-1990s taken under the Housing Act 1988 clarified the duty of local authorities to provide halting sites.\u00a0 In broad terms, the local authority was held to have a duty to provide sites for travellers.\u00a0 Under the 1988 Act, development plans must include objectives for the provision of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[276],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10469"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10469"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36287,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10469\/revisions\/36287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}