119 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views on whether amendments to the legislation governing Traveller housing accommodation may be required to assist local authorities, primarily in the Dublin area, to cope with the sudden and often overwhelming influx of trading Travellers from elsewhere in the country and from Great Britain; if he will accept that, for instance, it is extremely difficult for a local authority like South Dublin County Council to deal with as many as 200 caravans parked illegally on one site while at the same time endeavouring to meet its statutory obligations to provide accommodation of a proper standard for those members of the Traveller community resident within its administrative boundaries; if he will support the efforts of South Dublin County Council to seek agreement with the other local authorities in Dublin for an integrated approach to the provision of temporary accommodation for Travellers coming into the region; and if he will accept that the after effects of large incursions of trading Travellers such as occurred in Clondalkin in 2000, contributes to an unfortunate reaction from some members of the settled community towards any form of Traveller accommodation in their immediate areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16412/01]

The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998 requires local authorities in carrying out their statutory assessment of needs, under section 9 of the Housing Act, 1988, to include a separate assessment of the need for caravan sites for Travellers. The need for the provision of sites with limited facilities normally referred to as transient sites, to take account of the annual pattern of movement of Travellers, is therefore seen as an integral part of the provision of Traveller accommodation. No distinction is made between categories of Traveller, such as traders, which may avail of the use of transient sites provided by local authorities.

Guidelines, prepared in consultation with the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee, which were issued by my Department to local authorities on the provision of transient sites recommend that generally such sites should not be designed to cater for more than 20 bays. In light of this it is clear that a co-ordinated approach between adjoining local authorities to the provision of transient sites provides the best means of ensuring that identified needs are met. Any approach that focuses on the provision of transient sites in co-ordinated way is therefore to be welcomed.