Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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The Ombudsman for Children launched a report in May 2021 detailing the very serious concerns for residents in Spring Lane, Cork. It found that the living conditions were deplorable. The ombudsman’s report had ten recommendations, with 17 actions which needed to be taken. Last November, Deputies Ellis, Joan Collins and I visited the site as part of the committee and, to be upfront, we were absolutely appalled at the conditions the Traveller community had to put up with. They raised concerns with us on the day and we brought these issues back to Cork City Council, which we met later that evening.

We have since been contacted by residents to tell us that these issues still have not been resolved a year later. There are issues where toilets are still not up to scratch and are still backing up and flooding during bad weather and Cork City Council has not concreted a bay at the lowest point of the site, which it promised to do last February. One family who spoke to us on the day had a leaking roof; they received a guarantee that this would be addressed but a year on, it is still not sorted. As we go into the winter months, it is very concerning.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Cork City Council need to make sure these issues are addressed with urgency. The reality is that we are 18 months on from this damning report and these families are still living in deplorable conditions. The Minister of State will agree it is totally unacceptable.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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The Ombudsman for Children issued a damning report in May 2021, which said that the rights of Traveller children were being violated at the Spring Lane halting site in Cork. The report details what was described as failure after failure to improve living conditions, with children being left in filthy, overcrowded, rat infested, cold and damp living conditions. It was concerning to say the least that families and young children were living in such atrocious and unsafe conditions. The site required a radical overhaul and extensive refurbishment as a matter of urgency, particularly with regard to washing and toilet facilities and living facilities. The Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community visited the site last year. As a member of the committee on that visit, I can confirm that many of the issues highlighted in the report and raised by the local Traveller community were witnessed by me and by the other members of the committee.

Additionally, the report found that the implementation of Traveller accommodation plans had been discriminatory and unfair. We were assured at the time at a meeting with Cork City Council that these issues would be dealt with and it is disappointing that many of these serious issues have not been properly addressed. The outstanding issues need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. At the time, Cork City Council said it would have the system independently equality-proofed in autumn but that does not seem to have happened either. Excuses were made as to the reasons why it did not meet its targets, blaming weather, security events and lengthy court proceedings. It is simply not acceptable. We need action.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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The Office of the Ombudsman for Children published “No End in Site” in May 2021. One of the recommendations, at section 7.14.2,states, “That a system is in place to ensure routine and emergency maintenance works and upgrade works are addressed in a timely manner and that contracts with external service providers are proactively managed.” Cork City Council formally responded to this, stating it would put an updated system in place to ensure routine and emergency maintenance and upgrade works are carried out efficiently in quarter 4 of 2021. We are now in quarter 4 of 2022.

As Deputies Ellis and Mitchell said, we visited the site last year and were appalled at the conditions people were living in. We met one mother of a large family and the family's youngest son, who suffers from the rare Williams syndrome. They highlighted the damage caused to the roof of the family’s Portakabin. The matter had been reported to Cork City Council prior to our visit but it saddens me to report that, almost one year later, the matter remains unaddressed. In fact, it has got worse, as the roof started leaking and the leak has got steadily worse. The mother said on Friday that she can only imagine what will happen given the heavy rains, and today is the first clear rain day in Cork over the past four weeks. There was also another situation where a family at the lowest end of the site had literally to step into a mini-swimming pool to get out of their unit, even though three contractors had already submitted assessments to put in concrete flooring. This cannot go on.

The Traveller accommodation unit of the Department should be following this up strictly with Cork City Council and directing it to implement the things it was supposed to do and fix the issues.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I compliment the Oireachtas committee members who have taken such an interest in the Spring Lane halting site. I am aware of the ombudsman's report. It is disappointing to hear from all three Deputies that things have not improved after the site having been visited and funding provided. I agree wholeheartedly that these issues need to be addressed urgently. I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that local authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller accommodation programmes in their areas in order to meet the identified accommodation needs. The role of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is to ensure there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.

The 2022 budget provision is €18 million, an increase of €2.5 million on 2021, and I am pleased to note this will increase further in 2023, to €20 million. The full capital provision of €15.5 million was expended in 2021 providing Traveller-specific accommodation and, this year, is on course for full spend.

Cork City Council is working on a range of measures in response to the recommendations in No End in Site, the report of the Ombudsman for Children's Office, in order to improve conditions on the halting site. I am informed by the Minister's office that the council is focusing on immediate short-term measures, as well as progressing projects to provide a longer-term response to the accommodation needs of the families on site. The Department undertakes regular monthly meetings with Cork City Council in order to monitor progress by the council, while also ensuring the necessary supports are available in a timely manner. To this end, the Department has provided funding of more than €1.4 million for improvement works at Spring Lane halting site since 2015. In addition, a mediator funded by the Department has been appointed to assist the council in assessing the needs of individual families on a continuous basis to establish long-term housing solutions.

The Department is informed that the city council is working towards publishing a Part 8 planning application for the redevelopment of both Spring Lane and Ellis Yard as well as a third local authority development which will provide long-term accommodation for the families. Funding of more than €6 million has been approved by the Department for plans under way by the council for the development of a group housing scheme at the adjacent and disused Ellis Yard site. In addition, Cork City Council is preparing a number of applications under the pilot caravan loan scheme, introduced by the Department, which supports the provision of Traveller-specific accommodation by providing preferential loans to Travellers to purchase their own caravan for use as their primary residence on halting sites.

Meeting the needs of all Traveller communities continues to be a priority for the local authorities and the Department under my colleagues, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke.

I have been working closely with Travellers in respect of mental health. Last week, I was at Pavee Point when a new website at youngpavee.iewas launched. The website is entitled Mind Your Nuck. Nuck means head. I was delighted to work with young Travellers that day. In the context of providing mental health supports for Travellers, it is important to note that this is a cross-departmental issue that may involve inadequate housing, social welfare or education, and the relevant Departments have to work together. I have noticed that the mental health of Travellers can be seriously impacted by their living conditions. Although I see that the Minister has put the financial supports in place, it is disappointing that little has changed heading into winter.

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. I agree with her. Although the response from the Department speaks to looking to the future, we have to support the families on the halting site in the now. I appeal to her to go back to the Department and ask it to look at the issues this community is experiencing in the context of maintenance. The Department needs to ensure that, for now, the roof is fixed and the concrete bay put in, and then we can go forward with the other plans.

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community published its report last year in this House. The report set out 18 recommendations relating to accommodation for Travellers. One of the recommendations was that an audit of all sites be carried out to examine the living conditions. It is not the brief of the Minister of State but could she ask the Minister for housing whether any of those audits have taken place? If they have not, will she ask him when they will take place?

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister stated that €1.4 million has been allocated to Spring Lane since 2015. I wonder how much of that ended up as an underspend. That is what has happened across the country. We have seen underspend on many projects relating to the Traveller community.

I was impressed by the resilience of the community on the halting site. They greeted us and brought us into their homes. Even though the conditions there were so bad, they were still in great spirits and very welcoming. The Minister of State mentioned the that the council is considering another site and that Part 8 has gone through, but I hope that is being done in proper consultation with all the people on Spring Lane and that no one is left out. I ask the Minister of State to ensure there is consultation. There are many issues happening in this situation. Young kids are missing out on education because of the conditions on the halting site. It is also giving rise to issues relating to mental health, as the Minister of State recognised.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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There are two issues here. The first is the long-term development of Spring Lane, and that seems to be moving along. What is not being addressed, however, is the maintenance of the halting site at the moment. The Cork Traveller Visibility Group wrote to us in that regard. The letter states:

As you should know, [this family's] temporary, makeshift bay is one of the lowest points of the site, ... one of the places which floods first and worst. The family has been both self advocating and advocating through the local Traveller organisations for improvements to their immediate living circumstances, the required 'upgrade works', as the long-term permanent accommodation is still several years in the future.

The basic improvements the family has been looking for includes a permanent, raised surface in the temporary bay ... including measures to take rainwater away, a proper step into the mobile home, and a covering to the underside of the mobile home to improve heat retention and to aid rodent control.

The council came back after three procurements and three companies going to the site and said that all the Traveller accommodation unit could do was to put a temporary base on the mobile home and it did not have the back of the mobile home to improve the heat retention. It has not even implemented what it put money into getting procurement for. It is now saying it is not implementing what it paid those people to do. I do not believe a word out of Cork City Council's mouth when it comes to the Travelling community at Spring Lane. The council has not delivered on what it said it would do, which is to deal with maintenance.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As regards the points made, it appears that plans are in place for a long-term solution, with €6 million having been approved by the Department for plans under way by the council for the development of a group housing scheme at the adjacent and disused Ellis Yard and the redevelopment of Spring Lane and Ellis Yard. Officials from Cork City Council have been in ongoing engagement with the families on the site, with the aid of mediators funded by the Department, which is welcome, to reach agreement on long-term accommodation solutions for the families. We all welcome that but the issue seems to relate to what needs to be done in the short term. The Department is saying it will continue its ongoing engagement with the city council to provide the necessary supports to ensure the council is well positioned to meet the challenges in this case in a timely manner.

I again compliment the Oireachtas committee. It is really proactive of the Deputies to go down to Cork, meet the Travelling community and get feedback afterwards. I will bring it all back to the Minister because, as I said, it crosses over to my brief. We have a plan coming shortly. It will relate specifically to the health and mental health of the Travelling community.

If people's living conditions are not appropriate, it is very hard for that not to affect their physical and mental health. I thank all three Deputies for coming together on this matter. I will certainly feed it back.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Minister of State. This is a very important matter that we had the opportunity to discuss. Having advocated the establishment of the all-party Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community, an ad hocprocess is in place while we are waiting to re-establish it on a permanent basis. The case the Minister of State has brought forward is proof positive of the need to get that committee back into permanent existence-----

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I agree.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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-----so she can travel the country and see these halting sites. I am amazed that the esteemed officials in Cork need to bring intermediaries in to interpret what the requirements of the Traveller community in Cork are. They all speak the same language so it should be possible for them, without the aid of intermediaries, to work out what is needed, especially if there is €1.4 million in the coffers to do the work.