A change in the trespass laws to stop Traveller "invasions" of private property has been called for by the Fine Gael deputy, Ms Olivia Mitchell. She also called for an end to the practice of paying "goodbye" money to get Travellers to leave.
The South Dublin TD said the recent spate of trespassing by members of the Travelling community highlighted the need for the change. She said Travellers must themselves live up to the slogan of the recent "citizen traveller" equality campaign and accept that they have responsibilities towards others, as well as rights granted by Irish citizenship.
Ms Mitchell called on the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue, to amend the law at the earliest opportunity in the next Dail session, which opens in October. The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, should review State policy on the issue, she added.
"The recent unpublicised encampment by five Traveller families from Wexford on yet another school grounds in my own constituency is just one further example of a countrywide series of invasions by members of the Travelling community on to private or State property this summer," she said.
"All of these invasions have one thing in common: either the Travelling community leave after an expensive court injunction is got, forcing their departure, or they leave `voluntarily' once the property-owner or the local residents pay them `goodbye money'," she said.
Such payments were a dangerous and unwelcome development. "It may even amount to a form of extortion. It certainly amounts to an undermining of law and order."
The Travelling community, she said, must accept that with rights come responsibilities. "They are fully justified in demanding equal rights with other Irish citizens and have couched their message in a recent very attractive billboard and radio advertising campaign.
"But their message is falling on deaf ears as members of their own community insist on putting themselves above other citizens when it comes to the right of the settled community to the integrity of their lands and property."
However, Ms Ronnie Fay, director of Pavee Point, said it was noteworthy that many politicians were "conspicuously silent" in calling for people in their constituencies to support Traveller accommodation there.
She highlighted the lack of progress in providing this accommodation all over the country. She said the national committee established to look into this matter, which reported last month, said it was "very disappointed" with the slow progress in this area, with only 68 units being built by local authorities in the last two years.