Mr. Eugene Cummins:

First, no child should live in conditions like that, and I want to be very clear about that. Regardless of where they come from, whether it is Syria or a halting site, no child should live like that.

On the situation we find ourselves in, and I made reference to it in the presentation, these are very complex social issues and there are many reasons all of this might happen. There are quite a few people who are responsible for all of this, including the issues surrounding housing, and that includes members of the Travelling community and any other community, including the settled community.

In regard to the specific incident that Senator Murphy referenced, I am not familiar with that. I know that, over the years, in the various local authorities I have worked in, there are reasons behind all of these issues and they need to be addressed and examined. However, I cannot speak specifically on that. As Senator Murphy said, it was not something that happened in Roscommon.

I want to finish on the specific question by saying that no child should live like that. There are many people responsible for this situation and, from listening to the earlier sessions, it is not all down to the local authority. There are choices to be made as well and there are reasons accommodation cannot be provided at times, although it does not excuse a child living in circumstances like that.