Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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I thank the witnesses for the insight into their community. From the comment made by Ms Connors I picked up that the contributors have very little confidence that this will make any difference to the lives of Travellers in Ireland. I understand that because at a previous meeting, a group from Cork made the point that very good recommendations were made in the task force report in 1996 to try to assist communities but they were not implemented. There does not seem to be a driving force to have reports on mental health and other areas implemented and ensure there are checks and balances and accountability. I can see that coming from the top because there is no real drive to try to deal with the issue. That is probably one of the main issues the committee will have to raise in its report. In my experience with local authorities, there was always money available for housing for the Traveller community but it was never used. There was an attitude at that level that was dismissive of the community and its issues, culture and way of life. That has to change.