Northern Ireland Caravans Bill
Caravan owners will be better protected from bad practice by site owners, following the Assembly’s approval of the Caravans Bill today.
More than 14,000 static holiday caravan owners across Northern Ireland will have increased protection including the right to a written contract and to have a greater say in how their caravan site is run, following the Assembly’s approval of the first private member’s Bill ever passed here.
Social Development Minister, Alex Attwood, welcomed the Bill, saying: “This Bill is the first ever in the lifetime of the 1st and the 2nd Assemblies. This is some achievement – one for which John McCallister deserves great credit. For years, some caravan owners here had to, at the drop of a hat, accept changes made by site owners. This has meant raised fees, moved caravans and even eviction from sites, without much protection. This Bill will make a difference to those people, by clearly setting out in law the obligations for site owners and holiday caravan owners.”
There are also more than 300 families, many of whom are elderly, living full time in residential caravan sites (often called ‘park homes’). The Bill will also provide security of tenure to them and their families, protecting them from illegal eviction and sharp practice.
Minister Attwood continued: I’d like to pay tribute to John McCallister, the Bill’s sponsor, for his considerable efforts in completing the Caravans Bill which will make a difference to the lives of static caravan owners, in both the residential and holiday sectors, throughout Northern Ireland.”
He continued, I’d also like to acknowledge Margaret Ritchie’s significant role in the development and re-drafting of this important Bill. I’m also pleased to have had the opportunity to help and I’m grateful to Executive colleagues for their support on the Bill over the last year.”