Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Joyce and Mr. Cummins for their presentations. Mr. Cummins is the CEO in my county of Roscommon. I was a local authority member there for many years. He and his team seem to have a very good approach to settling Travellers in various parts of the county, which is quite successful. In most situations it works out without conflict. I also acknowledge Mr. Joyce's contribution. I acknowledge what he is saying and what he is trying to do. It is important that we have him here and listen to his contribution.

I will keep this quite brief. It is good to see that the CCMA is interested in continuing to work to progress this issue to make sure that Travellers are treated with respect and dignity. They should be given a fair chance at housing. A lot of work behind the scenes between elected members and executives in some local authorities means this works very successfully. I accept that there are probably other local authorities where it does not work as well. I want to put one thing very strongly on the record. We must eliminate the conditions in which some Travellers still live. It is horrifying to most of us that in some parts of the country people can live in appalling conditions. I am sure everybody associated with the committee and the people joining us online would acknowledge this.

I have several short questions. I welcome the fact that the CCMA is stating clearly that the removal of the allocation of specific budgets to individual local authorities is a welcome development. The CCMA has stated that this will enable local authorities to apply for and draw down funds at any time during the year. I would like to ask Mr. Joyce and those representing Travellers how they find the level of accommodation their people move in to. I presume it has to be up to a certain standard. Do they have any complaints in this regard?

I want to mention a specific case. I will not say where exactly in the country it was. It was not in County Roscommon. A family was living in rented accommodation and receiving the housing assistance payment. I have to say they were outstanding tenants. The owner of the house decided very generously to sell the house to the local authority in this particular county for a very reasonable fee because the family had been there for many years. I would say it was way below the market value. The family was offered housing in a local town but they were worried about a drug issue in the town, particularly in the estate to which they were being moved. They did not want their children in that environment.

In the particular county I am speaking about, and it is not County Roscommon, there was quite an amount in the Traveller accommodation account. I found a reluctance in the local authority to engage with the couple. I pointed out that money was available in the budget for this. The local authority felt that because the couple had been offered housing in a local town that they should have taken it.

My view in cases like that, where a family are settled for quite a number of years and want to remain there, in the rural part of that area, where the children and the parents were very much part of the local community, and all that the house needed once it was purchased was an extra room and upgrading of the sanitary facilities, is that we should be very strong and that we should try to accommodate people like that. The reluctance to do that was a disappointment.