Mr. Niall ? Donnabh?in:

I thank the Chair.

As for engagement with Traveller advocacy groups, we meet all the Traveller advocacy groups formally on a six-week basis. They engage with us on a daily basis for an individual family need or otherwise but we now have a structured engagement process with them, which is effective. The point I tried to make earlier is that, despite best efforts, certain Traveller families do not engage with advocacy groups and that is a fact. As a result, Cork City Council had to undertake a different tack to engage with the individual families in Spring Lane, as it would with any family. I refer back to the point my colleague, Mr. Geaney, made in that it is important that local relationships are maintained and that there is trust with the local authorities to work through these issues. Therefore, Cork City Council meets every six weeks with the Traveller advocacy groups. While it is completely understandable that certain Traveller families keep their circumstances private and that is something that can be expected from any member of any community, in the case of Spring Lane, they were not being advocated for or did not wish to be advocated for and we therefore engaged with them specifically through our independent mediator and stakeholder engagement person and that really helped with the problem.

The council took a step back and the key information was allowed to filter through. It is important to mention that while we have an active and positive engagement process with our advocacy groups, not all Traveller families are represented by advocacy groups.

As for how this will be rolled out, Mr. Geaney raised the important question on how to dispel myths on this matter. It is done by confronting the facts, by being upfront and outlining the facts of what the council is doing and why it is doing them. This is what we have tried to do from the outset by keeping the local Traveller accommodation consultative committee, LTACC, and the general public involved. The pre-consultation process will help in this regard but the council is also working with Cena and specifically with Traveller families in identifying ways to go forward. Cena has been referenced already around feasibility studies on two other sites we have. Cork City Council is working with Cena in the prevention of homelessness, specifically to see if it will step forward in helping the council prevent the homelessness of a Traveller family by acquiring the property, similar to what the council is doing with the tenant in situscheme. It allows for tenancy support and sustainment from a specific cohort. As Mr. Geaney outlined, a critical part of the success of any Traveller housing scheme will be its future management and Cena has helped the council develop in this regard. This will be a managed scheme and we have sought advice from Cena as to what exactly the council needs to be looking at beyond the standard estate management that it does, or that an approved housing body does. We are trying to tailor it specifically in order and we will go through that process all the way through. In doing that and in ensuring that this issue is tackled from root to branch, it will help to dispel some of the criticism and issues the general public has around this. There are Traveller families way beyond the number in discussion today at this committee who are living in the community on a daily basis and there is absolutely no issue. That is a really important part; they do not engage with the local authorities because they do not need to, similar to the council's social tenants or to any private member of the community. However, when they do, the council must provide that improved service.

To speak on the waste management issue, we source that from our revenue budget, separate to the Traveller accommodation budget, where we can. Equal to that, we then secure central funding, where appropriate, in that context. It is unfortunate that it is an issue, there is no question of that and it raises concern. It is not just the families within these sites because it is not always those families that are creating the issue, albeit they may be contributing to it. It is about trying to figure out how the council deals with it. Good estate management will help with this issue and dispel the criticism from the public that these areas are all a mess. Most of the Traveller families the council deals with do not wish to have anything to do with this issue but it does cause trouble for the schemes going forward.