Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the witnesses for coming in. I read the submissions and listened to the opening statements. There is frustration on their side and on our side regarding the people who are stuck in the middle, the Travelling community, and also the local authorities. Ms Heavey stated that the local authorities may ignore their legal obligations. However, if they are not given the resources, it seems to be very difficult. She recommended that the civil legal aid scheme be expanded to include all areas of law, which raised a red flag for me. What parts are not included?

I will give an example of that. In one case the local authority in my area provided housing - we will call it adequate housing - but the family has a number of children with autism and the house is not suitable. It is a two-storey house. The local authority cannot provide alternative accommodation. However, when the mother asked for safety locks on the windows upstairs, it said it could not do that because of health and safety requirements - if there was a fire, they would not be able to get out. However, one of the children nearly jumped off the top of the house.

Are either CLM or FLAC able to deal with cases like that which come into our offices? It is not about hitting the local authorities with a stick and pointing out they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. However, if they are not covered or are not given the resources by Government, how are they supposed to do their job? Are the witnesses encountering those barriers? The people coming to our offices are encountering more extensive barriers because some of them are not even aware that CLM and FLAC exist. I commend the witnesses on the work they have been doing. It is a breath of fresh air because it is another angle that we can now pursue. I will actually be on to them all the time with specific cases.

Ms Heavey also spoke about public sector training. I am very interested in that. She referred to cultural awareness training facilitated by the Traveller Equality and Justice Project at University College Cork. What they do there is absolutely amazing. I was lucky to attend night classes there for two years. It took me two years to learn one line, the last line that always stuck in my head.

I would be concerned about the referendum on housing. Ms Heavey spoke about inserting a right to adequate housing into the Constitution. While of course we are in favour of it, how can we actually resource the local authorities to provide the adequate accommodation?

The committee has discussed the caravan loan scheme extensively. We know that they are not cheap. We spoke about modular homes as alternatives. Does CLM have the authority to work with a family and approach a local authority outlining the specific needs of the family. They may not want to be in a trailer home, but would prefer an alternative to be on site in a modular home. Can CLM go in and mediate with local authority for stuff like that?