The micro-politics of Traveller accommodation and housing provision: sites of conflict, ambiguous implementation and symbolic policy making

The provision of social housing and other accommodation for Travellers, such as caravan halting sites, is one of the most intractable, policy challenges in Ireland. Accommodation needs amongst this disadvantaged, nomadic community have remained high for decades. This reflects a persistent but complex 'implementation deficit' as evidenced by local government's failure to meet the accommodation provision targets set by central government and contradictions between the type of accommodation delivered and policy-makers' plans. To illuminate the factors which have shaped these outcomes, this article draws on Matland's (1995) ideas on the influence of conflict and ambiguity on policy implementation. It reveals that, despite unambiguous national policy objectives, policy implementation mechanisms have remained ambiguous. This isn't surprising because Traveller accommodation proposals are often vociferously and successfully opposed by neighbouring residents. This opposition has shaped the scale and nature of the Traveller accommodation policy implementation deficit. This deficit also means that the relatively progressive objectives of Traveller accommodation policy remain largely symbolic.