Dr. Rosaleen McDonagh:

I will just give a short response and then Ms Keatinge might follow on. On the current housing crisis, Travellers have always had an issue regarding their want and need for Traveller-specific accommodation. It has been going on for at least 40 years. I do not accept that it is a new phenomenon for Travellers.

On the Deputy's second issue, which was about choice, I respect his opinion but, from the inside, as someone who lives the reality of racism every day, I would say that there is a very close link between choice and coercion. They have a list of two bad choices. If you are living with no water, no toilet, no heat and no refuse collection, your choices are very limited. I would also add that, in my experience, those of us who are in families where somebody, an adult or a child, has a disability have been offered completely inappropriate accommodation. I have known families who have to lift their adult children upstairs. The Deputy and I both know that very few settled people have to put up with that but that is what is offered to Travellers.

I appreciate all of the work Deputy Ó Cuív has done and all the solidarity he has shown over the years but it is sometimes very hard to match his side with my side, if that makes sense. I hope we can both respect our different points of view and our differences about where and how we live.

I might let Ms Keatinge take over. No, there were two other things. In the equality reviews that IHREC did into local authorities, it was not a surprise to me, although it was to the commission, to see the arrogance, the delays and the disrespect. The details of those reviews speak for themselves. We gave the local authorities every opportunity to pull up their socks. We gave them more time and we encouraged them. However, some showed total disregard for the work we were doing and for the issue of Traveller human rights. Does Ms Keatinge want to take over?