Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Gould for his kind and good wishes at the outset. I will be clear; I wish to be honest and open with the Cathaoirleach and members of the committee in that I do not have all the answers to this complex issue, but I assure them that I will do my best. I appreciate the guidance from the committee and feedback on the structures I have established. When I took on the role in November of being responsible for Traveller accommodation, I wanted to ensure the structures that reflect the needs of the Traveller community were put in place, through working with the local authorities and the Department, as equal representatives around the table, to chart a way through implementing the 32 recommendations contained in the report.

While I must be careful in what I say about the Ombudsman for Children's office, OCO, report referred to by the Deputy, I will make a few points on it. The OCO report, No End in Site, was a shocking indictment of the State, and we must be honest about that. It highlighted the extreme conditions that vulnerable people were living in, and that is something I do not want to see happen. As a father looking at his children, it makes one take a whole societal approach. In response to that, we approved a project worth €5.4 million, in April 2020, for Traveller-specific accommodation on the adjoining site. We supported the employment, through the Department with the local authority, of a mediator to get clear data from the residents on exactly what type of accommodation they want which will meet their needs. I visited the site and met them in person, and there is a varied response coming back. I wish to put on the record the respectful nature of members of the community, and the way they engaged with me was exemplary. We had a positive meeting with them and all the stakeholders in Cork. We need to liaise strongly and robustly with the local authority to ensure it will carry out what it says it will. It is currently doing a health and safety audit on the site that will highlight a large number of gaps in regard to dangers that are ever-present as one walks across the site.