Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The committee is aware that IHREC has taken cases against councils. From listening to other witnesses, we at this committee say that accommodation is a personal choice. As soon as we take that choice away and stop using the term "choice for Travellers", they will be pushed into apartments. I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív. We need to keep saying it is a personal choice for Travellers. I have seen local authorities pushing Travellers. At least five families, including children, have been pushed from Labre Park halting site into settled accommodation. They did not have a choice. I do not know how the planning and development bill of 2022 became the Planning and Development Bill 2023. That is the Bill. Through this committee and my place in the Seanad, we will bring in amendments that we will push. Some recommendations have come from the IHREC.

I ask the witnesses to answer Deputy Ó Cuív's question. What more can the human rights and equality organisation do to support Travellers? This is not my time to ask a question. The IHREC has obviously played a vital role in our community in seeking human rights. Even at this committee, I see that we need to keep pushing to be a part of the solution. Professor O'Flaherty, the current Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, said when he started in his role that there were big issues impacting Travellers and Roma at a European level. However, he did not give solutions and did not say what could be done or what needs to be done in Europe by way of solution. As Deputy Ó Cuív said, it is disheartening that there are so many recommendations. It is important that we have recommendations from the Ombudsman for Children and IHREC because those recommendations give us power as a committee. However, it is about pushing for actions. While we, as organisations and as a committee, are pushing for action, members of our community are dying.

I canvassed with some Independent councillors on a halting site in Tallaght. A young woman of 30 years of age and her family were living in dire accommodation that is not fit for purpose. We talked about the control of dogs in the Seanad this week and good ownership of dogs. The best way to describe the living conditions of that young adult woman is to say they are absolutely appalling. The young woman has additional needs. This follows on from, and fits in with, what Deputy Ó Cuív said. I should be a little quieter and move on to Deputy Buckley, but perhaps the witnesses would answer Deputy Ó Cuív's questions, address some of the points around the Planning and Development Bill and speak to some of the comments I have made. Including committee members, we need to stop being a part of the problem and become a part of the solution. We can write reports to state what we are doing and make ourselves sound great but there is little or no action. It is more important to reply to the Deputy than to answer my questions.