Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

People on both sides have real and justified fears. As mentioned earlier, in the past Travellers had a good rapport with settled communities in rural areas. They worked on the land as seasonal workers and farmers relied on them. However, mechanisation has changed this and people have moved on from that. Many of the traditional roles of Travellers are now gone. We need to work around this.

The issue of accommodation needs to be discussed. The accommodation we think the Traveller community needs is not always what they want. Their culture has a huge interest in horses and these need space and accommodation. I heard a member of the Traveller community say recently that if his book or film was very successful, he would not build a house but would buy a bit of land and put a caravan on it. Travellers want different things and have different aspirations and that is fine. We need proper communication and discussion in order to arrive at a situation where suitable accommodation is available.

We also need to work on the issue of Traveller feuding. We need conflict resolution, because out of control feuding makes people nervous and afraid. We need to tackle this.

On the issue of housing that is purchased for the Traveller community and other groups, there is a perception that we are not getting value and that many of the houses being purchased are purchased at above market value. We need to examine that issue. Some people have suggested that we take responsibility for dealing with accommodation for Travellers away from councillors. I disagree completely. Right across the country, councillors deal with every sector and they are, for the most part, fair minded. While some people might have a different view on councillors, they are accountable to the public. Removing the responsibility for this from public councillors and handing it to people who are unaccountable would be a dangerous route to take. Like all of us, councillors will face the people in the ultimate test, the election.

I deal with many issues in my clinic. Travellers come in to discuss their accommodation needs and I am delighted they feel comfortable enough to do so. However, I also deal with people from the settled community who are genuinely afraid of certain elements within the Traveller community. Some people are terrified and they may or may not be right to feel that way. Communication is vital if we are to break through this difficulty. Nothing will happen without proper communication. We will succeed or fail on this. Mention has been made of the need for more money and the discussion always seems to revert to that. Money alone will not solve this issue. It will help, but will not solve it. We need to deal with the issue in a structured way that allows free speech.

Across the board, our discussion of social housing for both the settled and Traveller communities must deal with the issue of anti-social behaviour. People are afraid that anti-social behaviour will come to their community and they will have to deal with it for the rest of their days. Anti-social behaviour is not exclusive to Travellers, but occurs across the board. If we had a mechanism that dealt effectively and quickly with serious anti-social issues that crop up across the country, many of the people's fears would be relieved. Many people in my area are looking to be rehoused because they are prisoners in their own homes. They are afraid to stay in their houses and are parking their cars away from them because of anti-social behaviour. This issue needs to be dealt with as it is a huge cost to communities. Why should people who are living respectfully in their communities have to leave? This does not make sense.

In order for free speech to work here and for people to be able to express their opinions honestly and in a straightforward manner, we need to take away emotive language like "racism" from the debate and need to start addressing the thorny issues. A conversation happens here, but another conversation happens outside of the House. We need to ensure people-----

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