Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Would anybody else like to come back in? I have a few questions.

For the past three years, I have been in the Seanad and part of this committee. It has not been running for a year and a half. With regard to holding local authorities to account, the TAP, and listening to what Senator Gavan said about there possibly being no need for this, that maybe we should be focusing on a national Traveller housing authority, would it be worth our while looking at a piece of underpinning legislation that would hold local authorities to account and make them deliver for Travellers on the ground? If we were to do that, what would that piece of legislation look like? It is a very big question for now but it may be something to think about. It is important that the national accommodation workers in the Irish Traveller Movement are able to hold the State to account. One of the powers of this committee is to hold the State to account for the lack of delivery. That is one of my questions.

Do the witnesses, probably more so Mr. Joyce, believe accommodation and living conditions have got worse for Travellers since Carrickmines? Do the witnesses see that on the ground in the work of the Irish Traveller Movement? Which specific issue do the witnesses think is a priority for attention? I know they answered that for Senator Gavan around accommodation. Again, we have done a lot of work in private sessions, and there is frustration. In one sense for me, being a member of the Traveller community, it is actually lovely to see. I know that may sound a bit strange. Two weeks ago we had a meeting about having a social networking morning as a committee and a little bit of training around what Traveller culture is, and language, which is extremely important. Deputies Ó Cuív and Stanton said we needed a lot of action in this committee because it is pointless having a committee and just sitting around. That, for me, was very inspiring to see from colleagues here, and even with regard to visiting sites. It is not that we do not want to go out and visit the halting sites. Of course we do. I live in Labre Park three days a week. It is about not wasting time, and really looking for that implementation and access from the previous committee.

On the 84 recommendations by our committee, has there been, to the best of the witnesses' knowledge, any implementation? I know that the Irish Traveller Movement has an employee who works in employment within the Traveller community, and that was one of the recommendations from the committee, so that is a positive.