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12/05/2004
Spellar plans laws to control 'unauthorised encampment'
John Spellar, Minister for Social Development, has announced his intention to introduce legislation to control unauthorised encampments.
Mr Spellar's announcement comes ahead of this week's North West 200 event which will see thousands of visitors stay in the area.
The Minister said: “Unauthorised encampments are set up in various parts of Northern Ireland. Very often they involve members of the Traveller community, but there are also problems with tourists who refuse to use the facilities provided for them and with visitors attending sporting events, such as the North West 200.
“These encampments have long been a cause of complaint from the public and from elected representatives, and existing legislation in Northern Ireland has proved to be ineffective in dealing with this problem. I intend to bring forward new laws, similar to those in Great Britain, that will allow the police to deal with this nuisance effectively.”
A consultation paper on the proposals was issued in September 2003 and 49 responses were received from a wide range of interests.
Many of those who responded to the consultation document were concerned about the potential adverse impact of the proposals on Travellers. In particular, concerns were raised about the lack of alternative site provision for Travellers.
The Minister said: “I am aware of the concerns expressed during the consultation about availability of sites for the Traveller community. For this reason I have decided to proceed with legislation in parallel with the development of specific alternative accommodation for Travellers.”
The NI Housing Executive has completed a traveller accommodation needs assessment that identified the need for permanent Traveller accommodation in the form of housing and serviced sites.
A programme of schemes has been drawn up to meet this need. The Housing Executive is currently engaging with District Councils to determine the need for transit sites to cater for the needs of nomadic Travellers.
Following this, a programme of work to provide transit sites will be drawn up and prioritised in accordance with the identified need.
(MB)
Mr Spellar's announcement comes ahead of this week's North West 200 event which will see thousands of visitors stay in the area.
The Minister said: “Unauthorised encampments are set up in various parts of Northern Ireland. Very often they involve members of the Traveller community, but there are also problems with tourists who refuse to use the facilities provided for them and with visitors attending sporting events, such as the North West 200.
“These encampments have long been a cause of complaint from the public and from elected representatives, and existing legislation in Northern Ireland has proved to be ineffective in dealing with this problem. I intend to bring forward new laws, similar to those in Great Britain, that will allow the police to deal with this nuisance effectively.”
A consultation paper on the proposals was issued in September 2003 and 49 responses were received from a wide range of interests.
Many of those who responded to the consultation document were concerned about the potential adverse impact of the proposals on Travellers. In particular, concerns were raised about the lack of alternative site provision for Travellers.
The Minister said: “I am aware of the concerns expressed during the consultation about availability of sites for the Traveller community. For this reason I have decided to proceed with legislation in parallel with the development of specific alternative accommodation for Travellers.”
The NI Housing Executive has completed a traveller accommodation needs assessment that identified the need for permanent Traveller accommodation in the form of housing and serviced sites.
A programme of schemes has been drawn up to meet this need. The Housing Executive is currently engaging with District Councils to determine the need for transit sites to cater for the needs of nomadic Travellers.
Following this, a programme of work to provide transit sites will be drawn up and prioritised in accordance with the identified need.
(MB)
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