Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 2011: Review

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Communities – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:15 pm on 30 November 2021.

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Photo of Deirdre Hargey Deirdre Hargey Sinn Féin 2:15, 30 November 2021

Yes, definitely. I am sure that you have heard similar stories in the past 20 months; I have heard those stories myself. I have no remit over caravans that are used for tourism or as second homes. My departmental remit under the Act covers caravans that are residential property. That said, I have widened the scope of the review to look at all of those issues. Obviously, tourism falls within the remit of the Department for the Economy, but that is not picked up in the Act. The Department for the Economy is involved in the review, and we want to hear the stories that stakeholders have. If, as part of the review, we can build in greater protections for those who lease caravans on those sites, that is what we will want to do. That consultation and engagement will be important. Once we go public with the consultation before the end of this year, if you have constituents out there with concerns, encourage them to get involved in those sessions.