Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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I am grateful for the opportunity to raise on the Adjournment the condition to which Carrowbrowne halting site has been allowed to deteriorate. The Ceann Comhairle also allowed me to raise this issue several years ago on the Adjournment. My interest in the matter dates back to 1994. In 1995 the public was shocked by the publication of photographs of the halting site which showed tiles missing from roofs, windows broken, wooden parts of the site burned and so forth. When I raised the matter on 17 September 2001, I received a reply indicating that the National Building Agency was preparing a report and urgent repairs would take place within a month. On 25 November 2003, the Ceann Comhairle allowed me to raise the matter in the House. Two years later the House is discussing the issue again.

A five-year strategy has been published but in what conditions are families living? The 18 families living on the Carrowbrowne halting site must wash using a cold tap because no electricity or toilets, apart from portakabins, are available. A recently widowed woman, whose family featured on the news recently, is trying to rear her 11 children in these conditions. This is a flagrant violation of human rights and should be reported to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva as a complete failure on the part of the authorities

After the children at the site indicated that all they wanted for Christmas was electricity, my colleague, the former mayor of Galway, Councillor Catherine Connolly, proposed a resolution to this effect in Galway City Council. In fairness to the city councillors, the resolution was passed unanimously before last Christmas. When no action had been taken by March, councillors from all parties and independents unanimously passed a second resolution. The latest development is that council officials have produced a report on the state of the site suggesting that all the families at Carrowbrowne will have to move to another temporary site while work is carried out on the site. The proposed location to which the families are to be moved is in the control of Galway County Council. No planning permission has been approved for this site and no timescale has been given for the works at Carrowbrowne. Meanwhile 18 families face Christmas with a cold tap and no electricity.

An outrageous falsehood has been perpetrated that the conditions at the site are not safe, even for temporary generators. Those who have skills in this area have indicated this is simply not the case and that part of the site could be refurbished while other parts were occupied. Parts of the site are kept in a wonderful condition by individual occupants.

I am not interested in hearing words about this issue. The families in question have been on the site for an average period of four years. Parents are trying to rear their children under the conditions I have described, which Galway City Council has addressed unanimously not once, but twice. Despite this, the council's decision has not been implemented.

I welcome the Minister of State who will be aware that the Department has a responsibility for requiring that local authorities meet their obligations on the housing of Travellers. What does the Government propose to do for the children in question this side of Christmas? As a Member of the Oireachtas who has drawn attention to conditions on the Carrowbrowne halting site in 1994, 2001, 2003 and again in 2005, I will try to seek advice to determine if we can legally prosecute the State for allowing conditions on the halting site to persist and the democratic will, as expressed by the local authority, to be frustrated and not implemented.

In recent days, looking at one of the widows living on the site, I asked myself how she can handle what she is going through with 11 children, a cold tap, no hot water, no permanent generator, a portakabin, no proper toilets and so forth. It is a badge of shame on this country that despite the publication of photographs of the site ten years ago, several unanimous resolutions by Galway City Council, and an indication given to me in this House on one of two occasions when I raised the issue that the National Building Agency would complete the most urgent repairs within a month, nothing has been done. I ask the Minister of State to give me a timescale for putting an end to this disgrace.

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Micheál D. Ó hUiginn as ucht an ábhair tábhachtaigh seo a thabhairt ós comhair na Dála. Is oth leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Nollaig Ó hEachthairn, nach feidir leis bheith anseo mar tá sé ar ghnó eile.

In recent days we have heard a great deal about Traveller halting sites. I express my sincere sympathy to the family of the two McGinley children who died so tragically during the week. It is right that the circumstances of their deaths are being fully investigated.

Before dealing with the Carrowbrowne project I must emphasise that, through their Traveller accommodation programmes prepared in accordance with section 7 of the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, the provision, management and maintenance of Traveller accommodation is the responsibility of local authorities. The Department's role is to provide the necessary funding to meet the cost of the provision and refurbishment of Traveller specific accommodation. The full cost of such work is provided to local authorities by way of capital grant. Over the past five years a total of €130 million was expended in this area. This has resulted in the 389 new permanent units of Traveller specific accommodation and the refurbishment of 346 such units.

While these developments are welcome, the need to make further progress in this area is acknowledged. The development by local authorities of their Traveller accommodation programmes for the period 2005 to 2008 and the targets they contain will facilitate these efforts. Despite this increased investment, the conditions on existing halting sites which have not yet been refurbished to modern standards is a cause for concern. In these cases, the effects of their site environment on the health of Travellers is a subject which has been raised in the context of the Traveller health strategy and it is proposed that the issue will be examined jointly by the national Traveller health and accommodation consultative committees over the coming months.

In the context of the difficulties and the extra cost experienced by local authorities in the management and maintenance of Traveller specific accommodation, the Department defrays some of the ongoing management and maintenance costs incurred by authorities in this area. Since 2000 in excess of €14 million has been provided to authorities for this purpose. The Department is also examining the issue of guidelines for local authorities for the management and maintenance of Traveller specific accommodation.

The Department is concerned to ensure that the refurbishment of the Carrowbrowne site should proceed as soon as possible.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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That is what it said in 2003.

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Galway City Council was informed earlier this year that its proposals for the complete demolition and refurbishment of the halting site to modern standards were eligible for funding. As well as minor technical amendments, it was a condition of the approval that an effective and ongoing management and maintenance system be put in place. Such a system must ensure that, with the involvement and co-operation of the Traveller tenants on the site, the new facilities to be provided will be managed and maintained to a high standard so as to contribute to the well-being of the residents and secure what will be a considerable investment in the project.

I understand that the city council is in the process of obtaining an alternative site to accommodate existing tenants while refurbishment works are being undertaken.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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There will be no electricity for Christmas.

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Details of this site, including the costs involved, are awaited from the council. On their receipt, this aspect of the project will receive early attention in the Department.