Traveller organisations are questioning new figures which record an increase in the numbers of families accommodated by local authorities.
The Irish Traveller Movement has taken issue with the statistics, which show that the number of families on halting sites around the State last year increased by 122 on the previous year, to 1,314.
A total of 4,522 families were accommodated last year by or with the assistance of the State's 34 county and city councils, according to the figures based on counts conducted last November.
This is an increase of 384 on the previous year and 717 on 2000. The type of accommodation documented includes standard local authority housing, group housing, private houses assisted by the local authority and halting sites.
Of the 4,522 total, 1,314 families were recorded as living in local authority halting sites last year, compared to 1,192 in 2001, an increase of 122 families.
The figures have been submitted to the Department of the Environment and Local Government which has recently published them in its Housing Statistics Bulletin. They show that a further 939 Traveller families were last year living on unauthorised sites, compared to 1,017 the previous year, a drop of 78.
However, Ms Gráinne O'Toole from the Irish Traveller Movement said she was not confident that the recorded increase in Travellers accommodated in halting sites "reflected the true picture in some counties as to the reality on the ground".
She said ongoing analysis of the statistics by local Traveller groups showed discrepancies in several counties including Donegal and Meath as well as Waterford City Council's area.
The Donegal County Council figure shows the number of families accommodated on local authority halting sites increased from 27 in 2002 to 35 last year. "I would question that increase because they are emergency bays that they have produced which fall way short of the standards in permanent halting sites," said Ms O'Toole.
She took issue with figures from Fingal County Council which show the number of families living on local authority halting sites increased from 100 in 2001 to 173 last year, maintaining that this increase was in part due to provision of temporary sites. Ms O'Toole said she asked the Department to clarify the figures. All local authorities have undertaken in Traveller Accommodation Programmes to provide around 3,700 units of accommodation by next year.