Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. He is an effective Minister. He is on the ground, he knows the issues and he has solutions. This is a difficult issue for many reasons but especially for those who do not have appropriate homes. Trying to procure homes for anybody in this country is not easy, but for myriad reasons it is more difficult for Travellers. I always like to look at the glass as half full in such scenarios and sometimes it is not easy. The former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, deserves a lot of credit for making the necessary moves that led to the recognition of Travellers as an ethnic group. It was an appropriate thing to do and it was welcomed. It meant that society and the State respected Travellers as an ethnic group.

Following on from that statement of the State's value and respect for Travellers, a significant volume of work must be done. I noted Senator Boyhan's proximity to Traveller accommodation units. When I look out my window I can see Traveller accommodation, as there is a group housing unit of six houses. In my town, there are three separate Traveller accommodation units. They were proposed and planned in the Traveller accommodation programmes in the 1990s and the early part of this century. Integrated housing is appropriate but Travellers had a different view and that had to be respected. The result is a mixture of all views. Senator Boyhan referred to a playground. I would consider that an example of best practice and other local authorities should learn from it. Many local authorities have good schemes and many Travellers have been housed for a long time who are getting on with their lives, rearing their families and making a meaningful contribution to society. Such examples exist and they must be heralded and used as best practice but there is a lot more to be done. The Minister of State is fully aware of what has to be done. The most disappointing element is when we find out each year how much money has been allocated by the Minister, who makes a significant effort during the budget negotiations to get funding and then makes sacrifices in other areas of housing to make money available for Traveller accommodation, and local authorities are not in a position to draw it down. It is not all the Government's fault or responsibility.Local authorities have a clear responsibility in terms of rolling up their sleeves and dealing effectively with Traveller accommodation. Some local authorities are good and make an effort but many are not making an effort. It is not a priority. It does not receive the type of absolute attention about which Senators Boyhan and Murnane O'Connor spoke eloquently. There are 31 local authorities and each of them has a responsibility to provide Traveller accommodation, but we could count on one hand the number of local authorities that do a genuinely good job when it comes to it. The Government has provided funding, including in very difficult circumstances, but the local authorities are those charged with delivering the programme, spending the funding and providing the accommodation. We will continue to bring Ministers to the House, as we have a proud tradition of doing, to highlight the issues we feel are important to us.

It is only appropriate that a special vote of appreciation should be bestowed on our colleague, Senator Kelleher, who has championed the issue of Travellers' rights in myriad ways since she came to the House.