Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)

That is most welcome. I have two final points. One is on the issue of housing. We had the Department of housing before us. I think it was at our last session before the recess. Looking at housing policy it is absolutely accepted that the needs of young Traveller families are changing. Many are opting to rent privately or find accommodation outside of group housing schemes. However, it is critically important that in developing group housing schemes, that awareness and support for Traveller heritage, particularly around horses, has to be supported. We can point to a number of good Traveller horse projects around the country and quite a lot of stop-start projects that did not get off the ground. Land unfortunately is becoming such a contentious issue in trying to find sites for Traveller men and boys to have access to a horse project. They really are proven to be effective means of intergenerational support. Outside of the animal husbandry issues it is more about the well-being of Travellers and Traveller mental health too. It is critically important that we continue to support projects where they are being proposed, not only from a financial perspective but also where sites can be identified and supported to be developed.