Colette Kelleher (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I raise the urgent issue of fire safety in Traveller accommodation. On 10 October last year, ten citizens tragically lost their lives in a fire in Carrickmines. Those who died were Willie Lynch and Tara Gilbert, with their daughters Kelsey and Jodie; Willie's brother, Jimmy; Thomas and Sylvia Connors and their children, Jim, Christie and six-month-old Mary.

In the wake of this tragedy, a national fire safety audit of all Traveller accommodation was ordered. That report from the national directorate of fire and emergency management was published in recent days, finding that over 80% of the units inspected had no smoke alarm or fire blanket. The report also indicated that access for fire services to sites was a concern in just under a third of cases, with separation distances - in other words, overcrowding - a concern in over half of the cases. Furthermore, it noted that protecting people from the dangers of fire is particularly challenging in the confined and cramped conditions where families living in caravans or non-standard accommodation may find themselves. Unofficial and roadside halting sites are the most vulnerable to lapses in fire safety and inappropriate access. These are the categories most likely missed in the audit and the real picture is probably worse than the report indicates. Currently, 534 families are living in unofficial, unrecognised and unserved accommodation.

In May 2016, the European Committee of Social Rights found the Irish Government in violation of Article 16 of the European Social Charter on five grounds, including the grounds of insufficient provision of accommodation for Travellers, and it concluded that a number of sites are in poor condition, lack maintenance and are badly located. According to the director of the Irish Traveller Movement, Mr. Bernard Joyce, with whom I am working, Travellers' quality of life, physical and mental health are linked to the quality of their accommodation. Fire safety protection is a basic entitlement.Since the devastating fire in Carrickmines, there have been other fires on halting sites. More people will die unnecessarily unless something is done. Rebuilding Ireland commits to an expert, independent review of capital and current funding for Traveller-specific accommodation which is needed, but the plan does not reference the scale of the project or the investment needed to bring it up to standard.

I back the call of the Irish Traveller Movement for the Minister with responsibility for housing to prioritise the issue of overcrowding on sites as a matter of urgency and to address the issues raised in the European Social Charter. I also urge the Leader of the House to raise the issue directly with An Taoiseach, who attended some of the funerals, because another tragedy such as that in Carrickmines can and must be prevented.