Mr. Bernard Joyce:

I thank the Chair, Deputies and Senators for the opportunity to present on behalf of the Irish Traveller Movement and our members across every county in Ireland.

Before addressing the overall context, as an Irish Traveller and as the director of the Irish Traveller Movement, I must say it important that we call this what it is. Traveller accommodation is in absolute crisis. It has been and continues to be to the present day. I remind my community that this is not of its making, but rather it is due to the practices and policies of the State that have a profound impact on Travellers' lives every day. There is inadequate provision of accommodation on this island. I further add that a secure home is a fundamental human right which should be afforded to all of us. However, it does not seem to be afforded to our community. Today and over many decades, Traveller organisations have been advocating for this with and on behalf of the community. The sad reality is that organisations and the community have been advocating for basic facilities, such as water, electricity and sanitation - they are the minimum, the basics - in one of the richest countries in the world.

While successive governments point to a range of policies nationally whose focus has been in part on the needs of Travellers, it is difficult to argue that much has changed in the life chances of our community. We do not see real, meaningful or tangible actions or implementation of policies.

Today is, one, to remind Senators and Deputies and, two, to go somewhat further. We have seen an increase in Travellers forced to live in unauthorised sites and experience hidden homelessness. Overcrowding is at a chronic level. According to the ETHOS model, overcrowding is recognised under the definition of “homelessness”. In our recent response to the proposed amendments to the Housing Act 1988, we noted among other things that, typically, rights are established on an individual rather than household basis. Therefore, adopting a framework that emphasises households, for which there is no legal definition, may further obscure the means by which the individual rights of Travellers experiencing homelessness are to be fulfilled by appropriate governing bodies. Travellers already face disproportionate housing discrimination due to shortages of housing stock of adequate size for some larger families and are more likely to become homeless and remain homeless for longer.

As we know, many policies are flawed to begin with and a lack of progress in improving physical and mental health outcomes has been accompanied by persistent disadvantage or, indeed, regressive steps in the area of accommodation. This should have a major implication for current policy responses to Traveller accommodation needs. It means much greater urgency and policy efforts are required to measure, understand and address the current crisis. The latest figures show the number of families sharing increased from 828 to 907. That is an extra 79. Families living on unauthorized sites rose from 487 to 654. That is in increase of 167 in one year. That accounts for approximately 6,500 to 8,200 individuals and does not include Travellers who are homeless, thought to be one in four of all people homeless in Ireland.

The accommodation crisis plays a significant part in suicide and mental health. People probably noted the recent RTÉ documentary, which is having a profound impact. We cannot look at accommodation in isolation from the social determinants and outcomes of our community. Accommodation is significant in the life and well-being of our community across Ireland.

We welcome the caravan loan scheme due for 2024 and recognise the hard work done. The Department confirmed earlier this week that a review of the scheme would be conducted in 2024, giving some reassurance to the national and local organisations who continue to raise concerns about the pace needed to meet the demand. Concerns include the process locally of designation of loans by county. Gathering data on the number of applications and refusals might give a more accurate reflection of need. Rather than providing culturally appropriate Traveller accommodation, some local authorities are advising Travellers to apply for an already extremely oversubscribed caravan loan scheme, even in cases where there is a failure to provide Traveller accommodation, the availability of which is a prerequisite to application.

We acknowledge the positive work being done by several local authorities. The committee will probably go into further discussion later in this process. We welcome this and will continue to support those efforts. However, it is important to note that these local authorities are in a minority, with many showing complete indifference to Travellers in their area and others actively trying to stifle the possibility of any working relationship. We are aware of recent cases of particular concern where Traveller representatives and their allies who have fought hard for a seat at the table were met with active aggression. It is through these structures that my community must try to create change, but they have in some cases failed us.

The magnitude of the human cost cannot be overstated here. The importance of a home is most evident when people do not have one. So too with culturally appropriate provision of Traveller accommodation, lack of which leads to Travellers facing constant evictions, unable to treat chronic health conditions, children unable to attend school consistently and exacerbation of mental health issues. When a family is living by the side of the road, it is impossible to address other priority concerns.

It essential that an oversight body, such as the national Traveller accommodation authority recommended in the expert group report on Traveller accommodation, is tasked with driving delivery. We have in our submission contextualised the statistics and figures and given recommendations. My colleague, Jacinta Brack, and I are very happy to discuss any questions members have.