Dáil debates

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Topical Issue Debate

Traveller Accommodation

3:45 pm

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I raise this issue because I talked to somebody who had recently spoken to one of the surviving members of the Carrickmines tragedy. We all know the circumstances of what happened on 10 October last year when fire swept through the temporary site and ten lives were lost. The outpouring of grief and shock right across the State was palpable. In my opinion, I thought it would have been a turning point in how the State treats Travellers. Unfortunately, a few short days later we saw the prejudice again rearing its head when a proposal was made to provide a temporary site in Rockville Drive and there were objections from local residents.

We are now in a situation where the surviving members of Carrickmines are heading into a second winter on a temporary site that is virtually a car park with no facilities. I know that the local authority in question has gone through the planning application stage to provide a more permanent site. All the indications are that it will be open in July of next year at the earliest. We have not been given any firm commitments on whether July is the final date and, as far as I am aware, the tender has not even been awarded to a company yet for the construction of that site. Perhaps the Minister of State could correct me if I am wrong on that, but it is my understanding that the tender has gone out but has not been finalised yet.

Individuals were promised more permanent accommodation on the back of the tragedy. That is a matter of fact. They were promised by senior Cabinet Ministers that their housing needs would be met. They have been told in recent weeks that this is now not going to happen and they will have to wait until next July at the earliest for more permanent dwellings. That is wrong and disgraceful. Commitments were made by members of the Government. Whether they were acting on an individual basis or not, they were representing the Cabinet when they made those promises to the surviving members. Those promises need to be honoured.

I will not get into what the promises were because I do not want to air that publicly, but the Minister knows as well as I do, or she should if she was given the briefing before dealing with this Topical Issue today, that firm commitments were made to some of those families that their housing needs would be met. They have yet to be met. I urge the senior Minister in question, Deputy Simon Coveney, to meet with the families and to discuss their housing needs again. We cannot have a situation where they have to continue to wait for more permanent accommodation while living on a temporary site without even sanitation facilities. It is simply wrong.

Photo of Catherine ByrneCatherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy O'Brien for raising this crucial matter and I welcome the opportunity to address the Deputy on it.

Arising from the tragic circumstances at Carrickmines in October 2015 and the loss of so many families and loved ones, a number of actions were implemented in the aftermath of the tragedy, along with ongoing engagement over the past 12 months with the bereaved and those affected by the events at Carrickmines on that night. A steering group, hosted by Southside Traveller Action Group, STAG, was established on 12 October 2015 to manage and oversee the local response to the immediate needs of the families involved. My Department, the Department of Social Protection, the HSE, An Garda Síochána and other agencies are participants in the steering group and are supporting the delivery of actions which have ensured that vital supports such as pastoral care, counselling services and other supports such as exceptional needs payments are provided to the families, as a priority, to meet their immediate needs after the tragic events. The steering group is now assisting with the physical and emotional recovery of those involved which includes the provision of health care and supports for survivors, along with responding to community welfare needs and the clean-up of the damaged site as well as the restoration of infrastructure and public services.

In relation to the accommodation needs, my Department worked with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to identify suitable temporary accommodation for the family concerned in the immediate aftermath of the Carrickmines tragedy. Temporary emergency accommodation has been in place for the family in Ballyogan, Carrickmines, since October 2015. The accommodation provided includes five three-bedroom mobile homes with shower and bathroom facilities, together with a separate utility area for each unit.

A site at Glendruid, Shankill, in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown was identified by the local authority in its Traveller accommodation programme for 2014 to 2018 for a group housing scheme to meet the needs of the Connors family. Funding approval was granted by my Department for these works and the refurbishment of the site was completed at the end of 2015. The family, however, indicated that this was not their preferred location. Subsequently, the site was allocated to other Traveller families who requested Traveller-specific accommodation. Following discussions with the family regarding their preferred options, the council proposes to develop a permanent four-bay halting site at Glenamuck Road, Carrickmines, which is in accordance with the local authority’s Traveller accommodation programme. The planning process was completed in July of this year and, following a submission from the council, my Department issued approval to the council to proceed to tender in September. The council anticipates that the accommodation will be ready for occupation by the family in summer 2017.

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I do not know if the Minister of State has the information on whether the tender has been signed for the permanent site, which is proposed to be open in July 2017. She can come back to me on that to provide the information on whether that tender has been signed and if we are still on target to meet that date. Could the Minister of State outline some of the remedial works which have been carried out or which are proposed to be carried out on the temporary site on which the families are currently living? It is my understanding that the site is surrounded by a number of large pylons and is rat infested. The conditions are less than adequate, to say the very least. While it is a temporary site, we are now asking the families to spend a minimum of another seven months on that particular site. If there are remedial works that need to be carried out, I ask the Minister of State to contact the local authority to make sure that they are done.

Following the tragedy, issues have been raised about many other sites around the country. In my own constituency of Cork North-Central, there is Spring Lane. I do not know if the Minister of State has ever visited Spring Lane, but it is a tragedy waiting to happen.

The living conditions on that site are the worst I have ever seen in all my years in politics. I saw raw sewage and exposed electrical wires among other things, but very little remedial work has been carried out.

Will the Minister of State outline the initiatives being taken to improve other halting sites? Funding has been allocated but, much to my disgust and that of representatives of the Traveller community, local authorities have handed it back to central government. The money has not been used while members of the Traveller community continue to live in very poor and deplorable conditions.

3:55 pm

Photo of Catherine ByrneCatherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I do not have answers to some of the specific questions posed by Deputy O'Brien. I have taken note of them and will revert to him as soon as possible.

I thank the Deputy for his comments and observations and assure him that I am committed to ensuring Traveller accommodation needs are met in a safe and suitable manner. As is appropriate in the aftermath of such an appalling tragedy, the audit and improvement of fire safety in local authority provided Traveller accommodation was a critical task undertaken by my Department's national directorate of fire and emergency management. The concluding report, entitled a Programme to Review and Enhance Fire Safety in Local Authority Provided Traveller Accommodation, was published in September 2015. The report enumerated the fire safety measures and actions that were required as well as recommending a series of further actions to sustain fire safety in the long term. My Department continues to work with the local authorities and the national Traveller representative groups to ensure safe and secure accommodation for Travellers is provided in accordance with their preference through a comprehensive local and national collaborative structure.

I have taken a note of some of the issues Deputy O'Brien has raised and I will get back to him as soon as possible.