Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

There are two issues here. The first is the long-term development of Spring Lane, and that seems to be moving along. What is not being addressed, however, is the maintenance of the halting site at the moment. The Cork Traveller Visibility Group wrote to us in that regard. The letter states:

As you should know, [this family's] temporary, makeshift bay is one of the lowest points of the site, ... one of the places which floods first and worst. The family has been both self advocating and advocating through the local Traveller organisations for improvements to their immediate living circumstances, the required 'upgrade works', as the long-term permanent accommodation is still several years in the future.

The basic improvements the family has been looking for includes a permanent, raised surface in the temporary bay ... including measures to take rainwater away, a proper step into the mobile home, and a covering to the underside of the mobile home to improve heat retention and to aid rodent control.

The council came back after three procurements and three companies going to the site and said that all the Traveller accommodation unit could do was to put a temporary base on the mobile home and it did not have the back of the mobile home to improve the heat retention. It has not even implemented what it put money into getting procurement for. It is now saying it is not implementing what it paid those people to do. I do not believe a word out of Cork City Council's mouth when it comes to the Travelling community at Spring Lane. The council has not delivered on what it said it would do, which is to deal with maintenance.

See this speech in context