102 Traveller families have no permanent place to live

WEXFORD has the fifth highest Traveller population in Ireland.

Senior executive officer with Wexford County Council Liz Hore said that the annual count for Travellers in the county was carried out on November 25.

She said there are 602 Traveller families with accommodation in the county and 102 families without accommodation.

There are currently 207 families with accommodation in the Enniscorthy area while a further 30 families in that area are without accommodation. In New Ross there are 211 families with accommodation and 25 families without it.

In Wexford there are 105 families with accommodation while there are 15 families without accommodation. In Gorey there are 79 families with accommodation and 32 families without accommodation.

She said that this information will form part of the review of the Traveller Accommodation Programme which is scheduled to go for consultation in December to the Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee (LTACC).

Ms Hore said that the four year Traveller accommodation programme 20142018 had set down a target of providing accommodation for 128 families. She said that in 2014 a total of 26 houses were offered but only half were accepted. In 2015 a total of 24 houses were offered of which 12 were accepted.

In 2016 17 houses were offered and 14 were accepted.

In addition a fire audit had been carried out on Traveller specific accommodation during the year and funding for Traveller Participation Strategy had been secured.

Ms Hore said there are now 91 families requiring Traveller accommodation in the county.

Cllr Deirdre Wadding who is a member of the LTACC said the council also needed to look at culturally appropriate housing for Travellers as well.