Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)

This week marks ten years since the Carrickmines fire that claimed the lives of ten members of the Connors family including five children and a pregnant mother. It was a very dark night in recent Irish history. It was a tragedy that exposed not just the fragility of life but the fragility of the State's commitment to the Traveller community. In the immediate aftermath, we heard lots of promises and commitments. We were told that conditions on halting sites would be reviewed, that safety would be prioritised and that lessons would be learned and yet we are here a decade later and the stark truth is that very little has changed when it comes to conditions for Travellers. Reports have piled high on shelves while families continue to live in conditions that are unsafe, unsuitable and wholly unworthy of a modern country. The Carrickmines fire was not an isolated incident but the product of systematic neglect from the State. Local authorities have consistently failed to spend the budgets allocated for Traveller accommodation, as I have mentioned before in the Chamber. Year after year, money is returned unspent while families remain in overcrowded sites with inadequate fire and safety measures. This is not just a policy failure. It is a failure of justice and of basic humanity. We owe the Connors family more than remembrance. We owe them change. If we truly believe in equality, when we talk about equal rights for Travellers, we must ensure Traveller children grow up with the same safety, dignity and security as other children in this country. Ten years on, the greatest honour we could pay to those who lost their lives would be to finally take some meaningful action. I respectfully request a debate on the question of minority rights and Traveller rights in this country. I mentioned this before during Traveller Pride Week but, for the day that is in it when we are commemorating the ten-year anniversary, this is another important time to do it.