Mr. Brian Dillon:

There are only two elements of "appropriate accommodation" that are in an official capacity. They were only in ministerial guidelines that were circulated to local authorities at the time of the establishment of national Traveller accommodation consultative committee. What they named as the two elements was first, an association with nomadism, and second, animal keeping, to which the Deputy also referred. These animals are usually horses, although we have found that it is not just horses; there are all sorts of animals right across the board. Those were the two elements in the guidelines.

We have been convinced of two further elements since from our engagement with Travellers right across the country. The first of these is the space to which the Deputy referred. People refer to this space as storage space, but it is not. We have problems trying to convince architects, designers and planners of the importance of including a shed at the back of a house, as well as of what the shed is for. It is amazing that the men’s shed movement, and movements like that, are all well accepted in the settled community, yet the struggle we have had points its importance to Travellers is amazing. It is as if they think that someone will manufacture explosives or something, or that they will do something illegal in the shed. It is a men's shed concept, and it might be more important for Traveller men as meeting spaces. That is the other bit. Most people think that is frivolous or not serious. The usual local authority response is there is a coal shed or a coal shed side building.

The other point that is important to us is the issue of design. What does a Traveller house look like? Nobody can answer that question. We have begun that discussion right across a number of counties with Travellers. The results of that discussion are astounding. We have an architect working in Galway who is now building five houses. These are brilliant because they are incorporating the notion of the shed. The discussion that the architect had with Travellers was seriously enlightening. He asked: what is the difference between living in a chalet, a mobile, and a house? He asked if he could not build a house for Travellers that reflects their culture. The result is amazing. The most amazing thing for me was that none of the Travellers were ever asked that question before. There are houses in Ireland that have won architectural prizes for being good practice. They were basically what, with the best will in the world, settled people thought would be good for Travellers. We are therefore only beginning to get there with that element. That is one of the four elements.

As well as animal keeping, there is the association with nomadism. This is always about caravans, the space for them, and the access to them. Caravans are easy to store, because there are fire regulations and all sorts of things. None of this is illegal. The Deputy mentioned the local authority’s position on that. In nearly all those aspects that I have mentioned, including the caravan, animal keeping, the size of the shed, it is not only that these elements are not encouraged. Every time that a Traveller family is offered accommodation, they would be more likely to have to sign an agreement that they would not keep any dogs, or that they will not have any activity in the shed, and that they most definitely would not have a caravan. They, therefore, have to sign tenancy agreements that would sign away their culture, rather than it being accommodated.

We have developed a tenant handbook and a policy, which are within the laws and by-laws. They comply with all of that and it is all perfectly legal. However, the people we have trained as our workers are encouraging people and telling them how they can protect their culture and maintain it. It is a different world when one considers how local authorities see "appropriate accommodation" for Travellers.

The last question was about assessment. We have all that. We have a detailed training programme that we talk with UCC about. We hope that we can professionalise people within it. We have eight different modules involved in that assessment. However, we do not use the word “assessment” anymore, because we think it has been so demeaning. When Travellers hear the word “assessment”, they will usually immediately ask, “Why would I tell you the truth when all I have got is false promises?" We prefer to say that we create a space where people can make informed decisions about their own futures. This will never happen in one visit; it will take about three or four visits. It is about talking to families individually and then in a group. Our own people are trained on how to do that. We have that model of assessment. I am sure it exists somewhere else in the world within other communities but, certainly, it is a new thing in Ireland. We do not yet have that training accredited, but it will become part of a third level qualification that we are now negotiating with UCC.