Results 241-260 of 1,157 for speaker:Eileen Flynn

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: I would love for people to answer that question for me. Keeping it on equality, last week the Cathaoirleach hosted an event around Pride here in Leinster House. I was so proud to be there as a member of the Traveller community and, most importantly, to admire the work of Senator David Norris over the past 30 years in this House and the changes he has made in Irish society. I want to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: I second the recommendation.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: Apologies have been received from Senator Joe O'Reilly. I remind members that they must be physically present within Leinster House in order to take part in the public meeting. I will not allow members to take part in the meeting if they are not within Leinster House. The evidence of witnesses physically present in Leinster House is protected by absolute privilege. Witnesses should not...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: Regarding actions, as we have seen from Deputy Stanton's input and his parliamentary question, it is important that we write to the council and get the information needed. It is great that committee members care so much about the issues. Education is an issue that the committee must focus on in January.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: I can kind of answer that question. The recommendation for the Traveller authority around housing came from the expert group in 2019. It is also a recommendation of this committee. For the past 15 to 16 years I have been part of TAPs with the local Traveller accommodation consultative committees. We know better than anyone, Mr. O'Sullivan, that in the entire country, not one of those TAP...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: This relates to the delivery of the 32 recommendations under the expert group.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: The biggest challenge with the redevelopment of Traveller accommodation sites is Part 8. Labre Park, similar to Spring Lane, has been waiting to get through Part 8 for more than a decade. I have no doubt that if we do not keep on top of Spring Lane, we will still be at Part 8. The recommendations we are talking about today, which both organisations have again brought to the committee's...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Ms O'Donoghue. I know about this from the work we do and from the National Traveller Women's Forum, which is doing its best to get Traveller women access to refuges if needs be, including providing locations of refuges. This is not to say that Ms O'Donoghue is wrong. Far from it, but I think that Clúid Housing has taken over some sites and there is some good practice with the...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: If you take the maintenance money out of Traveller accommodation budget, they could spend hundreds of thousands of euro on repairs on sites. These could include kitchens that would not be put into settled people’s houses but it is okay to put them into Traveller homes. At yesterday’s disability committee, I spoke about children and people with disabilities. To give an...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: Ms Carmody wanted to come in.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: I think that is a very important question. It will require a consultation with the national and local organisations. An Act is just an Act; it does not have to be acted on, if that makes sense. A review of the Traveller accommodation Act would be something that would benefit the Traveller community but while we review these Acts, we are taking our eyes off the ball of implementation of...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: When we speak to people like Mr. O'Sullivan, Ms Carmody, Ms Kelly and Ms O'Donoghue, we hear about people waiting on the TAP for decades. It is still as if we are in a worse place to what we were when we started and when the Act around Traveller accommodation was put together. That is absolutely heartbreaking for the community as a whole. Accommodation is everything. Accommodation is your...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: Okay.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: A review is important. Next week, representatives from National Traveller MABS, which really is the leading body, will appear before the committee.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: The caravan loan scheme has helped on some of the halting sites in Dublin,. I agree with what Ms O'Donoghue said but before we think about scrapping this, it has supported families. It is not many families but some families were brought to an emergency home who now would probably be on the streets or in a hostel if they did not have the scheme. Again, however, Ms O'Donoghue is 100% right....

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: Yes. We were talking about that last week.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome what Ms Kelly said earlier - we said it last week as well - and what Mr. O'Sullivan brought up there around different types of accommodation. They are like chalets. That is what we would call the sort of accommodation that we have seen lately in Ireland. It is important that we give people choices. Many members of our community, as Ms Kelly said, would not live in a mansion on a...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: One hundred per cent. It is up to the Government to hold the local authorities to account. That is the whole point. It is that accountability. One would be blue in the face hearing that it is okay because it is only the Travellers. There is nothing in place that will protect Travellers from the lack of implementation by the State, by local authorities. We have seen politicians and...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: I thank our guests and the organisations for coming in today. I know everyone is very tired. It is a bit like a broken record but, hopefully, we can get some action by pushing this through. I thank the members of the committee because it is important to have questions asked by members and that it is not only somebody from our community who is pushing it. As I said, we will have Cena,...