Print version4/5 Eustace Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel: +353 1 679 6577
Fax: +353 1 679 6578
Sub-Human Local Authority sites
Press Release ---- Press Release ---- Press Release ---- Press Release
Tuesday, 14 February 2006
Sub-Human Local Authority sites force Traveller Families to Court Action
A Traveller Family have filed proceedings against South Dublin Co. Council in a case which highlights the appalling conditions in which they are expected to live. "The incorporation into Irish Law of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the increasing level of protection from discrimination at a European level, give Travellers such as the Doherty family who are living in such appalling conditions, new opportunities, in addition to traditional Constitutional law, to argue for their basic human right to dignity and equality," said Damien Peelo, Joint Co-ordinator of the ITM.
"The lack of implementation of the Traveller Accommodation Programmes around the country has left many families paying rent to the local authorities on sites which provide only basic services such as outdoor taps, outdoor toilets and often faulty electricity," says Claire Davey, ITM National Accommodation Officer. "It is simply outrageous that local authorities feel they can charge for what is essentially a health and safety nightmare on some sites."
"The legislation is there which compels local authorities to implement their Traveller Accommodation Programmes, however, the political will is not, ITM believes a Traveller Accommodation Agency is essential to progress implementation; these degrading conditions cannot be allowed to persist," continues Ms Davey.
The Doherty case, in which an elderly Traveller Couple is challenging the local authority and the state for breaching their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, the Equal Status and Housing Acts and the Constitution, follows on from a similar case taken December 2005.
Over 600 families are still on the roadside living under threat of constant eviction and 3907 families are still waiting for local authorities to deliver on their legal obligations, the attached presentation details national statistics, for further information contact Claire Davey, ITM National Accommodation Officer, on 0879553560 or ITM on 016796577