Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. In my constituency there is a major development of the Spring Lane halting site. We have made a number of observations and Cork City Council has taken a lot of them on board. We have done a lot of work with the Traveller community on this site and with the broader community because we want the development to work. We particularly want it to work for the residents who live there because for decades their treatment has been shocking. We think the site needs to be managed and maintained. I am hopeful about it, given the work Cork City Council is doing, and I know it has been to the Department and number of committees outlining it.

There is also the issue of general Traveller accommodation. The way the Traveller community has been treated in the State has been shocking. They have been denied human rights through a lack of housing. In my constituency the number of Travellers in emergency accommodation is phenomenal.

See this speech in context