Ms Sin?ad Carr:

The Cathaoirleach might be sorry she asked how the committee might assist. I will go through three things. I think I raised them before at the previous committee.

I am aware there is working ongoing on what is culturally-appropriate accommodation. That is critical because it is leading to a lot of interpretation from various stakeholders and causing the difficulty the chief executive mentioned about trying to come to an agreement about what is and is not feasible, so that is important. When we are talking about culturally appropriate accommodation, it is also important that if we are looking at the accommodation of horses, fowl or other animals, there needs to be an appreciation of what that means on the ground. We need to ensure, for instance, we conform with the equine legislation that has to be addressed, along with the amenities and the environmental. If that is not practical in an urban environment, that needs to be stated. If it is decided it is practical, wherever it is, then we need to ensure it is properly resourced because local authorities certainly are not currently resourced to be able to manage and assist in the management of those. If they are to occur, it has to be managed in a way that is not going to cause significant ramifications down the line as well. All that needs to be thought through. It is important work, so if the committee looked at that, it would be very helpful.

The other issue, based on challenges we are finding on the ground, is where there are new family formations on halting sites, etc., and where there is reluctance from those new family formations to move off site, how do councils deal with that when there is a constrained site. What are the options and can we look at what is and is not reasonable? Again, there needs to be clarity around that to assist us in trying to address those issues. It is one of the issues causing difficulties with management of the halting sites. That causes difficulty then for the families on the sites.

The other issue I am very strong on is there are a number of families who have significant complex needs and there really do need to be specific supports for them, whether around mental health, addiction or other challenging areas. If we had those supports in the local authority, we would be in a better position to help those families and especially the children. That is my Christmas wish list, if the committee could deliver that.