Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The tragic deaths of the two young Traveller families at the Carrickmines halting site has sadly brought a serious problem to national attention. There are 29,000 Travellers in Ireland and 4% of them are living in halting sites. The concept of halting sites as temporary is misleading and erroneous. Providing safe and acceptable sites, with running water, sanitation and electricity, is imperative. It is totally unacceptable that these vital services have been neglected in the austerity cutbacks over the past number of years, leaving living conditions in many of these sites highly hazardous and dangerous as regards health and safety.

The dramatic budget decrease for Traveller programmes from €35 million in 2010 to €4.3 million this year has impacted adversely on all aspects of Travellers' lives, their general living conditions and the social and educational supports in the programmes. The recent tragedy has brought renewed focus on the wider difficulties faced by many in Ireland's Traveller community. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has written to all local authorities in the State to highlight the duty on public bodies to eliminate discrimination in their daily work. The Chief Commissioner, Ms Emily Logan, has confirmed that she has written to the senior management of all local authorities drawing attention to the public sector's duty, provided for under section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act, to provide proper necessities for this community.

I ask the Minister and the Government to act on what she has recommended.

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