Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like other speakers, I offer my condolences to the victims of the recent horrific tragedy in Carrickmines. No words of consolation can adequately address that particular issue or can convey to the victims and their families the full extent of the recognition of the impact of it on them.

All tragedies serve to remind us of something. In this particular case, as in many other tragedies we have experienced in this country, it serves to remind us that there are people among us who are either isolated or feel they are isolated for one reason or another. By virtue of that isolation, they may find themselves isolated in another sense in regard to education, health and housing. In this particular situation, it was clearly recognition of the housing element, which affects many people in this country at this time. Ironically and inevitably, the Traveller community is going to be most affected in the situation where there is a scarcity of housing.

It is only some years ago that we were deemed to be one of the wealthiest countries in the world. In fact, there were those who suggested we were the wealthiest country in the world. I do not believe we were. We need to recognise that we have a social responsibility to ourselves and to the citizens to ensure we do our best, each of us individually and collectively, to spread whatever is required in terms of opportunity to those who do not have it.

The sad part of the housing situation for the unfortunate victims in Carrickmines is that it was not first-class accommodation. There is much accommodation on offer which is not first-class and it affects Travellers and even the settled community. It is a point to which we should be alert because there may be more tragedies like this which will come back to haunt us, unless we do something about it. I go along with Deputy Joanna Tuffy in that I do not believe the local authorities failed completely. They have done a great deal but it has not always worked out. They have tried and have provided halting sites. In the cases in which I have had dealings, there have been very effective and well-run halting sites with good quality accommodation. There were no problems in those places.

Ironically, good quality housing, good medical attention and access to education lift that community. It gives it an insight into something better that it can do. It should not be forgotten that there are quite a number of people in the Traveller community who want to settle down, have access to good health services, to housing and to education. Eliminate education from that area, then one eliminates the possibility of allowing people to evolve and to take their place in society.

Reference has been made already, and it goes without saying, that there is some prejudice in various places. There are situations where things did not go right. If we are to improve the situation, however, we must recognise the fundamentals required to address the issue to help those who are members of the Traveller community. I acknowledge the work of Pavee Point, Ronnie Fay and all those who have been involved in that work for many years.

We often hear in the House that the poor suffered during the downturn in the economy. I hope no one expected that the poor, or anybody else, were going to get richer during the downturn. That is not the way things work. Those who are hardest hit in terms of housing, access to education and access to health services are obviously the poor. That subculture, as seen in the minds of some people, and the Traveller community is the worst affected and hit to the greatest extent. It impacts severely on its members and tends to lead them into thinking that they are not and never will be recognised. We have a duty to ourselves and to our society in terms of social justice and recognising the need to look after those who are not as well placed as the rest of the community. The community in which we all work generally recognises that they want to help out, that there is a need to do something of a helpful nature and that there is a need to be constructive. They do so on a regular basis. We all have members of the Traveller community who come along to our clinics and explain their cases to us. This is something from which we have all learned.

As to the question of whether local authorities have failed, some have. The extent to which help is being made available is highly questionable. There is a need now, as there has been for some time, to recognise the fundamentals required to address the subject. That subject is to try to ensure the opportunities are made available. If one comes down on one side in recognising that the Traveller community will remain forever Travellers, one eliminates then the possibility for those within the community who wish to change from that life over time. That happens with the education and the children. I see Deputy Gerry Adams smiling about that.

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