A consultation document on accommodation for travellers, published yesterday by the Northern Ireland Environment Minister, Lord Dubs, has been described by representatives of the travelling community in the North as a waste of time and money. The discussion document is the result of two years of research completed by a working party set up to examine the future accommodation needs of travellers.
"It is generally agreed that travellers are among the most disadvantaged members of society in Northern Ireland. I hope this report will address their accommodation needs and will further the equality dimension which is such an important dimension of the Good Friday agreement," Lord Dubs said.
However, travelling community activists are disappointed with the document and describe it as a poor effort, containing factual inconsistencies and numerical inaccuracies.
"We are all very dismayed and down about it," admitted Ms Margaret Donaghy, director of the Travellers Movement of Northern Ireland. "Our only optimism can come from the fact that it is only a consultation document and perhaps the final document will take a more positive and constructive approach."
Ms Mary McMahon, co-ordinator of the Belfast Sites Project, saw no evidence in the document of the consultations that travellers had with the working group. "We offered many sensible recommendations to the working group which are not present in the document," she said.
"We believe that the Housing Executive should be granted strategic responsibility for the long-term planning of traveller accommodation and that it should also be responsible for acquiring land aimed at the establishment of communities for travellers. If the local councils are involved, it should be surplus to the central administration because some local councils are good, others do nothing for the travelling community," Ms McMahon said.
According to representatives the central issue of prejudice against travellers is not addressed.