Vol. 433 No. 7
53 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Health the strategies which are in place in his Department and in the Eastern Health Board to deal with children of the travelling community, who are persistently begging on Dublin streets often alone and at night; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
57 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Health the strategies which are in place in his Department and in the Eastern Health Board to deal with children of the travelling community, who are persistently begging on Dublin streets often alone and at night; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 57 together.
I share the Deputies' concern about the practice of children begging on the streets of Dublin. The Eastern Health Board provides financial assistance to a number of services which have been specially developed for traveller children. The board, in conjunction with the Department of Education, support a school and pre-school for traveller children at Strand Street, Dublin 1. The school is linked to Exchange House, Essex Street, Dublin 2 which is operated by the Dublin Committee for Travelling People and which provides a range of support services to the travelling community. In addition, the board also grant-aids residential centres for young travellers at Trudder House and Deralossory House in County Wicklow.
The Eastern Health Board is at present carrying out a review of its services for travellers within the board's area. The aim of the review is to further improve these services, including those designed to assist traveller children.
The specific problem of traveller children begging is being addressed by an ad hoc committee representative of Dublin Corporation, the Eastern Health Board, the Garda, Dublin County Council, the Dublin Committee for Travellers, Exchange House and Focus Point. This committee has identified the small number of families who are principally involved in begging. Though the law allows for the prosecution of parents in such instances, there is a reluctance, bearing in mind the overall welfare of the children, to take this course of action. However, the parents in question have been warned that these activities are illegal and have been made aware of the potential consequences of continuing to send their children out to beg.
