Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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I propose that we publish on our website the letter received from the Minister and our letter to the Minister. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I have a few questions. In private session last week, we discussed the root cause of why people do not like members of the Traveller community living beside them and the levels of hatred, discrimination and racism that unfortunately still exist in society. I do not want to put words in Mr. Geaney's mouth, but I was taken aback by what he said earlier. I know it happens seven days a week when it comes to accommodation for Travellers and the fact that many members of the settled community do not want Travellers living beside them. That is fear of the unknown and what people see out there too.

That attitude is striking to me and local authorities must deal with that kind of behaviour. What can be done in local authorities to show that the Traveller community is an equal part of the community and that it has as equal a say as do people from the general population? This is something Ireland needs to deal with as a society. Unfortunately, coming up to elections, there will be people campaigning using the anti-Traveller card. What can this committee and the local authorities do - I will not say to stop it, as this behaviour may never stop completely - to show communities that local authorities care about Travellers and about Traveller accommodation and that they will treat Travellers as being just as important as the settled community? I refer to Carrickmines in 2015, when families were put back into the same living conditions on the same halting site where ten members of their family died in a fire. As Chairperson of this committee, I do not wish to state that there is an "us versus them" scenario when there should just be an "us". What can local authorities do to break down barriers between Travellers and the settled community?

I also am interested to hear of the relationships between Mayo County Council and the Mayo Travellers organisation and between Cork City Council and the Cork Traveller visibility organisation. As Deputy Ó Cuív stated earlier, everyone has a part to play and the Traveller organisations have a part to play in communicating with the councils. Mr. Ó Donnabháin stated that Cork City Council is working with the community through the Cork Traveller Visibility Group at Spring Lane but, to the best of my knowledge, I had thought that work of consultation was done already. Deputy Ó Cuív frequently talks about kicking the can the down the road, about pilot schemes and a lot of talking shops. This is the committee's 14th meeting and it is now at the point where it needs to see action. This is not for the benefit of members of the committee, as many of us are not impacted by the living conditions the Traveller community live in, which are dire in many cases. This committee wishes to see more action.

As for Traveller accommodation programmes, TAPs, while I do not wish to show disrespect or to target anyone, the TAPs have not worked and will not work. Traveller organisations and the Traveller community are looking for a Traveller authority to work with to deliver accommodation because unfortunately, local authorities have not met the needs or demands of the Traveller community. I welcome Mr. Ó Donnabháin's statement that Cork City Council will have passed through Part 8 of the planning process on 13 May. This is usually the biggest challenge when it comes to the redevelopment of Traveller sites or accommodation. However, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, has stated that there should be an exemption from the Part 8 provisions when to comes to Traveller accommodation. What is the officials' opinion on that?

I am aware, from being on the TAP in Ballyfermot for many years, that a lot of the accommodation budget goes to waste management and that is annoying. How much of Cork City Council's Traveller accommodation budget goes to waste management? Should that responsibility not lie with the department of waste management? Should there not be two different budgets?

I frequently mention the maintenance of Traveller houses at this committee. At the halting site in Ballyfermot, the houses are really run-down and you would not expect dogs to live in them. The maintenance is of poor quality. How much of Cork City Council's budget has been spent on maintenance and what quality would the city council's representatives say the maintenance is? Is it to a high standard?

That is my input to the committee today. I do not know if the witnesses have answers to the questions I asked, particularly around the local authorities building relationships with both communities.