Three young children from a group of Roma families living on a motorway roundabout in Dublin have been taken into care by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The HSE could not provide further details.
The Roma group - reportedly consisting of 32 adults and 22 children - has been living on a huge roundabout at the Naul/Ballymun interchange on the M50 in Dublin for several weeks.
Concern had been expressed about their presence on the busy road, and immigrant support groups also expressed concern about their welfare and living conditions.
An alliance of support groups yesterday called for "urgent humanitarian intervention" to deal with the issue.
That alliance - including Traveller support group Pavee Point, Crosscare, the Conference of Religious of Ireland and the Roma Support Group - said the crisis situation was "worsening on a daily basis".
Bad weather, no rubbish collection and the lack of heat or adequate shelter were contributing to the dire living conditions.
In a statement, the alliance said lack of action by the HSE and local authority is "contrary to the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child". It said the HSE has a statutory responsibility to protect and promote the welfare of all children in the State.
Bulgaria and Romania were admitted to the European Union on January 1st this year. There are restrictions on the employment of citizens of those countries in this State that do not apply to other EU countries. It is understood the families who have been living on the roundabout do not have work permits.