Ms Bridgie Casey:

We are working with a number of local authorities across the board. In Carlow, we have purchased four properties. Three already have tenants. Over the next two weeks, we will have another property under Cena's name. We did not draw that money down from the Traveller-specific accommodation funding, but from the CAS. We work with families. As Mr. Dillon mentioned, there is not one, two or three meetings with each family. We have a number of meetings where we sit down Traveller to Traveller and look to identify areas where that family would be happy to be accommodated in the long term. We have seen Travellers for whom being accommodated on housing estates and so forth did not work and they ended up back on the roadside with nothing.

We have a close relationship with Carlow County Council and we are working through a process. We have identified a number of families to work with them. Not every Traveller wants to live in Traveller-specific accommodation. We have to be aware of that. I work with and talk to Travellers on the ground in a number of areas. Some would like Traveller-specific accommodation but many are moving away from it. Is it because, despite living in group housing schemes or on halting sites being their desire, the accommodation they are living in there is in such a horrible condition that they have no choice but to move out?

We are a nomadic people. In the 1960s, we were constantly on the road and so forth. We were forced into cities, to be honest, and that has caused a large number of problems for us as a community. Often, Travellers want the focus to be on the cultural side rather than the city side. It gives them more freedom than they have in a city as well as more space for a towing trailer or horse. They understand that there is legislation and that they must abide by the law, but it is more open for them and some of them feel like they belong there more than they do within a city's boundaries.

We are working with Kildare County Council, Tralee and Limerick. Mr. Dillon's area of work is the development of relationships with local authorities in building and thinking and talking about Traveller-specific accommodation while my area of work is working with families on the ground on trying to purchase houses.

There is a particular area where we are facing discrimination. I will not name the area. We have a good relationship with the local authority but, unfortunately, the auctioneers' doors are shut to us. Instead, we are working privately to get families homes in the area, but it is sad that we have to experience such a high level of discrimination that people do not want a Traveller at their doors, in their areas, on their side of the town, on their side of the countryside, etc. There are many issues in that regard.

Cena is progressing, we have a very strong board and our directors are committed to the organisation and have driven it. It is very much an organisation that is led by the Traveller community. Travellers coming together in an organisation and doing this work for themselves has never been done before. At the end of the day, we are the experts in Traveller accommodation. If someone went out and bought a car for me, I might not want it. What we are doing is different from other people thinking what might be good for Travellers, where they should live and how they should live.

Our culture and way of life are denied us daily. Through the TAPs, the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act and so forth, the State did a good job of assimilating us into the community and took away our rights and our identity as an ethnic minority in society.

We cannot practise our way of life today in relation to being nomadic. That is a big part of who we are. We do not have the freedom to be the ethnic minority that we are in Irish society. There is a lot of work to do here with Cena. I am confident that we can deliver, but we can only deliver with my people and community. They will tell us how this is done and we need to listen as an organisation. Most of all, Travellers have to listen to Travellers. This is how we will deliver.