Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Most Deputies met today with families who have children suffering from muscular dystrophy. We listened to details of hard, sad cases. Cystic fibrosis services and gangland crime in Limerick are two other topical issues. All the issues one might choose are probably more dramatic and will have more serious consequences than the issue I raise tonight, namely, the provision of mobile homes on halting sites in County Cork. This an ongoing problem about which I feel strongly, although I do not doubt that all Deputies feel strongly about it.

I will only discuss halting sites in County Cork because they are the only sites I know, although I have seen others elsewhere. If we saw similar conditions in South Africa or any other developing country, we would be appalled, put our hands in our pockets and send out groups of workmen to put the problem right. A child could drown in some of the holes on these sites when they are filled with rain water. Little effort is being made to collect rubbish and the Travellers are living in the most appalling conditions. The bays have what one might describe as a little shed with a stainless steel bath. As we all know, if one puts hot water in a such a bath, one will burn oneself when one touches the metal, yet the residents of these sites are expected to wash their children in them. The toilets which are 20 years old are also made of stainless steel. Hot water is not available, roofs leak, the electricity supply is faulty and the only positive feature for some residents is that they have a decent mobile home.

Second-hand mobile homes can be draughty, wet, infested with rats and have holes in the floor. The newer mobile homes had showers and a bathroom but Cork City Council removed them to provide a third bedroom. This additional room which families are expected to use as a child's bedroom is not wider than the chairs in the House. One could not possibly make a bedroom of such a small space. Conditions on these sites are appalling and we should be ashamed that we allow them — Ireland's townships — to remain.

I know the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, is a decent and honourable man. It is, however, deeply offensive that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, who has responsibility for this issue is not present for this debate. I do not normally ask that the senior Minister be present in the House for an Adjournment debate. Tonight, however, is an exception.

Cork City Council had a policy of replacing mobile homes when their condition deteriorated to the point that the problem was deemed to be an emergency. A supplier would provide a second-hand mobile home which was usually not in great condition and this would provide relief for a family for another winter. This year, however, the Department issued a diktat in February that it would no longer provide Cork City Council with resources to fund the replacement of mobile homes, the main reason being that the council had recouped more than any other local authority in recent years. If we expect people to live in appalling conditions, the least we can do is be on top of our game and replace mobile homes when necessary.

The Department cited a number of reasons it would no longer fund replacement mobile homes, including the mobility of caravans and the question of ownership should Travellers decide to leave the site. The Minister of State should try to imagine attempting to tow these caravans a distance of 20 feet. One would not reach the gate of the site before it would fall apart. The Department also cited the difficulty in ensuring caravans were constructed to a high standard from a health and safety viewpoint and the fear that accidents or mishaps could become the liability of local departments. In other words, it refuses to provide a mobile home in reasonably good condition because it fears the residents will claim from the Department. Instead, it will allow Travellers to live in draughty, rat-infested mobile homes that are about to fall apart. It also cited the short lifespan of caravans in use all year round and the likely need for frequent replacements. The lunacy of this thinking is beyond me. The Department is not providing standard accommodation and will not replace mobile homes which it recognises are faulty and dangerous from a health and safety point of view.

The life expectancy of Travellers and the diseases from which Traveller children suffer should be examined. These problems can all be traced to poverty and poor housing. It is appalling that the Department, under the Green Party Minister, Deputy Gormley — the Mother Theresa who would save us all — has stopped funding the provision of mobile homes for Travellers in County Cork.

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Kathleen Lynch for raising this matter which I am taking on behalf of my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe.

In dealing with the specific issue concerning the replacement of mobile homes for Traveller families in Cork city, it is worthwhile briefly to examine the accommodation position of Traveller families across all local authorities.

The most recent annual count of Traveller families in November 2007 showed a total of 8,099 families nationally, an increase of 408 families on the previous year. There has been a steady increase in numbers over recent years, with a 42% increase recorded since the first Traveller accommodation programmes began in 2000.

Of the 8,099 Traveller families, a significant proportion, 5,537, 68%, have opted for standard, non-Traveller specific accommodation. For the most part, these houses are provided by local authorities and financed out of the Department's capital allocations for social housing. The figures for Cork city show there are 291 Traveller families living there, 67 of whom are accommodated on halting site bays.

Under the Traveller accommodation programmes prepared in accordance with 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 these works is provided to local authorities by way of capital grant.

Since the enactment of the 1998 legislation, each local authority has adopted two successive Traveller accommodation programmes. In the course of the first programmes, covering 2000 to 2004, some 1,371 additional Traveller families were provided with permanent, secure accommodation at a cost of €130 million. Over the same period there was a 50% reduction in the number of families living on unauthorised sites, down from 1,207 at the start of the programmes to 601 families at their completion.

Significant progress is being made nationally under the second Traveller accommodation programmes 2005 to 2008, with some 477 units of new and refurbished Traveller-specific accommodation having been provided so far. Expenditure to date on the second programmes exceeds €107 million.

During the first Traveller accommodation programme, Cork City Council built a new group housing scheme in Mahon and carried out significant refurbishment works to halting sites at Hollyhill and Carrigrohane Road. Over the course of the second programme, Cork City Council spent a total of €883,700, of which some €466,000, almost 53% of the total, related to emergency replacement of caravans on halting sites. Expenditure on emergency replacement of caravans nationally over the same period amounted to €1.4 million, with Cork City Council accounting for around one third of the total spend.

In framing Traveller accommodation policy, the Department is mindful of the need to facilitate those families who wish to pursue a nomadic lifestyle. To this end, it provides financial assistance through a scheme of loans and grants for the purchase of caravans for Travellers. Loans up to a maximum of €6,350, to be repaid over five years, are made available by local authorities. There is also a one-off grant of up to 10% of cost, up to a maximum of €635, for Travellers purchasing their first caravan.

The Department also provides funding towards the cost of emergency replacement of caravans resulting from events such as storm or fire damage. Usually 50% of the replacement cost is provided. In certain exceptional circumstances, the full cost may be met.

There are recurring requests for funding for emergency caravan replacement by Cork City Council with around 40 of the 98 caravans replaced since 2004 located in Cork city. In some instances, caravans were replaced more than once for individual Traveller families in that period. The Department raised this issue at a recent meeting with officials of Cork City Council to ensure future Traveller accommodation programmes deliver quality accommodation at optimum cost, while having regard to the needs and preferences of Traveller families.

Capital allocations for Traveller-specific accommodation for 2008 will be announced presently. I am confident the allocation to Cork City Council will enable it to implement a substantial and appropriate programme of work for 2008.