Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle agus leis na Teachtaí a rinne na hathruithe chun an t-ábhar seo a phlé níos luaithe.

I have been watching the broadcast of the Committee of Public Accounts meeting on NAMA. It is unfortunate that the Minister for Housing, Planning, Environment and Local Government is not present. While I was thinking of what to say to him, the figure of €190 million that may have been miscalculated in selling off the NAMA portfolio in the North kept ringing through my brain. Today's edition of The Irish Timesreported that since January, the 23 families who were evicted by armed gardaí on trucks from Woodlands Park halting site outside Dundalk have not been rehoused in full. Seven families currently live on the side of the road without access to toilet or water facilities or electricity and three of the families have children under the age of ten. I spoke to another family who parked their caravan beside their mother's place somewhere in County Cavan and they do a 100 km round trip every day to get the kids to school because the one constant in their lives is the school in Dundalk. They are hopeful that they will be rehoused and looked after in the town.

Last March, when funding was meant to have been released to the local authority, the families were promised that Woodlands Park would be refurbished and they would be rehoused by October. Kitty Holland of The Irish Timeswent on to the site yesterday where some men were looking at maps and papers. When she asked what was happening, they said the job should start next week and would be completed in 12 weeks, which brings us right up to the new year and the harshest part of the winter. The seven families living on the side of the road are indicative of what happens in respect of Traveller accommodation in this country. I chaired the local Traveller accommodation consultative committee, LTACC, on Dublin City Council for six years and I never experienced as much obfuscation, hesitation and deliberate twisting of figures, facts and promises in my role as a councillor until my final year on the council when the staffing changed and different officers were put in charge. This is the experience of Travellers in every local authority area and the figures bear it out. In 2008, €40 million was allocated to Traveller accommodation. This was reduced to €4 million by 2013 while last year, €4.3 million was allocated. The National Task Force on Traveller Accommodation in 1995 highlighted the need for 3,100 new Traveller units. Less than 10% of that number has been delivered two decades later. There is a now a need for 3,741 units. In my experience as a local authority representative, it was like pulling teeth to get money to refurbish houses that were badly needed for families and to get basic facilities such as bays, toilet facilities and water services installed in Labre Park, Ballyfermot.

I wanted to make a plea to the Minister, Deputy Coveney, on behalf of Rebecca Quinn from Dundalk to whom I have just spoken. She met him and other political party representatives in May and she was promised that the sun, moon and stars would be delivered. Since then, she has written to the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach, the Ministers for Health and Children and Youth Affairs and several times to Deputy Coveney and she has rung his office but she has been ignored by everybody.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The only answer she gets from the Minister is, "My officials will meet you". She does not want to meet the officials because nothing moves. I will back her up 1,000% on that because nothing moves until somebody is shown up or has to pay for this. The seven families have to be accommodated. Work has to start immediately and with urgency on the Woodlands Park site and the money required has to be allocated.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy's time is up.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Somebody needs to stand over Louth County Council with a big stick and ensure it does not hide behind some other obfuscation and misuse of facts.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy's time has elapsed.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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On a point of order, the Deputy is not correct. As a former member of Louth County Council, I know every effort is being made to accommodate those families. There are huge difficulties there.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I am grateful for the opportunity to address the House on the important matter of Traveller accommodation. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for the opportunity to correct the record. The senior Minister could not be present and he sends his apologies. I work with him in the Department and I am here on his behalf. He is directly involved in this issue. The Minister is not in the business of promising "the sun, moon and stars". That is not what he does and it is unfair to say that. Most people will at least respect the fact that he is genuine in what he tries to do. We are trying to tackle a housing crisis and it is a genuine attempt. He does not promise "the sun, moon and stars". If the Deputy wants to be helpful, she should leave that rhetoric out of the debate.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is a relative term. It could mean a home.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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It is not relative; it is a silly way of approaching any issue.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister of State should not engage with the Deputy and just answer the question.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I should clarify that Louth County Council is the authority with statutory responsibility for the assessment of accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of Traveller accommodation programmes, TAPs, in the Louth area. Following the removal of families from Woodlands Park halting site in January, the county council commenced a review of its Traveller accommodation programme 2014-2018 to facilitate all households and families who wished to make applications to be considered for housing or amend their accommodation type choice. The LTACC is currently meeting with regard to this review. It is important, as we discuss this, that we do not undermine the key role of the committee in this process.

A media report published today suggests that seven families are on the roadside with no water supply. Louth County Council is aware of four caravans that have been placed at Naughton's Close, approximately 1 km from the Woodlands Park site. The council is not satisfied that these caravans are occupied. I understand the council is currently investigating the situation to bring some clarity to the matter. The media report also suggests that the seven families are among a number of families removed from Woodlands Park halting site in January this year. While the families' representative claimed that there were 23 families on site at the time of the initial removal, only 15 families presented to Louth County Council seeking alternative accommodation.

Since the removals, the council has met with every family who presented to them seeking accommodation. In line with housing regulations, where the council considered that a family's housing needs were being met in other accommodation, they were not provided with emergency hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation. However, of the 15 families who presented to the council following the removals from the Woodlands Park site in January, 14 have since been accommodated through various social housing supports including housing assistance payment, social and voluntary housing, and emergency bed and breakfast accommodation. One family is no longer receiving support as they have refused two offers of accommodation from the council.

Immediately following the removals from Woodlands Park, and in advance of the review of its Traveller accommodation plan, the council formed the view that there would be likely demand for a halting site in the area and, accordingly, sought financial support from my Department to refurbish the Woodlands Park site. This was granted and the council has advised my Department that work on the site commenced last Monday morning, as scheduled. Accordingly funding will be provided by my Department in line with the approved budget for these works. Offers of accommodation on the site will be made by the council over the coming weeks with likely occupation before year end.

I have every confidence that Louth County Council will continue to work with the Traveller families, the LTACC and all concerned to ensure that the accommodation needs of Travellers in the area are met.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I am sorry if I rudely interrupted the Minister of State. The expression "sun, moon and stars" is relative and, in this case, it could mean the supply of water or electricity or a simple home. Obviously, I do not say there is a demand for, or a request for, lavish expense on Travellers similar to that which is often lavishly expended on other sectors of society but, like everybody else, Travellers deserve to have their human rights fulfilled. Despite the obfuscation in the Minister of State's reply on the part of Louth County Council regarding the number of families and whether they are living on the roadside, families are being deprived of a decent place to live and plans were presented to the families following their eviction. As chairperson of the Dublin City Council LTACC, I attended a special meeting with departmental officials and we were told that when the fire service took part in the audit of all the halting sites around the country, no evictions would ensue without alternative accommodation being provided. However, this is not what happened in Dundalk and, all this time later, families are still waiting for the site to be refurbished.

I resent the way the Minister of State said, as if it were in brackets, "as scheduled". That is not what the original schedule said. It said that it would be ready by October, not that it would begin in October. Now we have to put these families on the side of the road through the winter without the building being completed as was promised. I repeat the request from Rebecca Quinn. She wants to meet the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney. I understand the difficulty as I am also a busy woman and find it difficult to arrange an appointment to meet somebody, although I am not nearly as important as he is. I am probably more important than he is in some ways. He has a duty to meet that woman. Since the last meeting they have been let down left, right and centre. She represents Dundalk Travellers and has repeatedly requested a meeting with the Minister, so I ask him to spare the time to meet her rather than fob her off to representatives of his Department.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I again thank the Deputies for their comments and observations and assure them that I am committed to ensuring that Traveller accommodation needs will be met in a safe and sustainable way. I reiterate that safety on halting sites is paramount and I hope that Travellers will feel reassured by the steps that are being taken by my Department in the context of the review of fire safety programmes in Traveller accommodation. Members will be aware that my Department published the report only last week.

While recognising broader issues related to Traveller accommodation, the review process focused on life safety and on the fire safety measures which are perceived to be the most effective in protecting life safety among the Travellers. Recognising that what has been done is a first stage in a process which needs to be mainstreamed into ongoing work programmes, the report makes a number of recommendations to clarify recommended approaches and to embed the issue of fire safety in Traveller accommodation into future work programmes. One of the key recommendations to emerge from the report is that in order to mainstream fire safety as an ongoing item, it should be included as a standing item at all local Traveller accommodation consultative committee, LTACC, meetings. At the same time, it is recommended that oversight of the LTACC's role in relation to fire safety in Traveller accommodation be added to the brief of the national Traveller accommodation consultative committee, NTACC. The NTACC will seek regular updates that LTACCs are meeting this requirement.

I assure the House that my Department will continue to support and work with local authorities and national Travellers' representative groups to ensure the continued provision of safe and secure accommodation for Travellers, in accordance with their choice, and through the comprehensive local and national collaborative structures which are in place. Work has begun on site and money has been allocated. We expect people to be housed there before the end of the year.