Colette Kelleher (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State and his colleagues are very welcome to give us this update. I acknowledge David Joyce, Professor Michelle Norris and Conor Norton, but I really want to acknowledge the Minister of State because he has taken up this with great seriousness and sincerity. We all see that and recognise it. I also welcome the additional moneys being allocated to Traveller accommodation.

In many ways, as a campaigner that is the box is ticked. Once the extra money goes in, that is one's campaigning goal achieved. With Traveller accommodation, of course, that is not the case. It is really depressing and disgraceful that only 70% of the allocation for 2019 has been spent. There is an enormous urgency because there is a homelessness crisis, as the Minister of State knows better than anyone else. The fact is that the homelessness crisis affects Travellers more than any other single group. As Deputy Ó Broin said and the Minister of State agreed with it, there is an absolutely inevitable connection between unauthorised sites, unspent moneys and the growing homelessness crisis.

My first question for the Minister of State is whether he has accepted all of the 32 recommendations and if he will be implementing them all. Is he dropping or changing any? If so, which ones, and why?

I repeat the request for an indication of timelines, particularly how quickly we will get to phase 3, the project initiation. Every day that passes, where there is a lack of progress, a lack of drawdown, and the housing crisis grows, is a misery for people.

Will all the submissions made in the information-gathering phase be shared with the Traveller representative organisations? They would be of interest to them and it is important that they are shared. Moreover, I hope that this information-gathering phase is not an opportunity for watering down, slowing down or rowing back in any way. The 32 recommendations contained in the report are what we need. There is consensus in respect of them and I would hate for us to row back on them in any way.

I have some questions about the governance recommendations. What are the Minister of State's thoughts on strengthening the NTACC? That was one clear recommendation. As it stands, how will that committee interact with the programme board? Will the board have an independent executive function? How will the NTACC evolve into the national Traveller accommodation authority, a step which was clearly recommended in the governance section of the report?

I also want to ask about the legislation relating to trespass. Will that be repealed, as recommended? I refer also to the issues of unauthorised sites and evictions. Will the current eviction procedures be reviewed and an appeal procedure included? The issue of evictions came up in Geneva this week in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. I understand that there is no national data collection on evictions. There is also no access to justice because there is no free legal aid for those facing evictions.

Will the caravan loan scheme be included in the arrangements for the disbursal of funding for the provision or refurbishment of Traveller-specific accommodation? The Minister of State mentioned that in his opening statement. What actions are being taken around the ethnic identifier? Are any obstacles likely to emerge? The old red herring of the general data protection regulation, GDPR, is often used as a block, but that is not a reasonable interpretation of that measure.

Finally, have all Traveller accommodation plans been signed off? Are there any outstanding Traveller accommodation plans? The Minister of State is aware of the existence of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community. That committee, of which I am Chair, has been looking at mental health, health and education and we are now looking at employment. We will discuss accommodation in January. I would like to invite the Minister of State to come before the committee. It is not about duplicating the work of this committee. However, all of those issues are relevant. If someone is not living in decent surroundings or healthy conditions or lives in damp or cold surroundings, his or her children are more likely to be sick. The life expectancy of Travellers is affected by their accommodation. School attendance is also affected by accommodation, as is employment; someone's address affects their ability to get a job. We will be looking at accommodation and it would be very positive if the Minister could attend that committee. We will be extending an invitation.