I raise this matter with a certain amount of frustration — and indeed anger — because I have to demand some kind of action from the Minister by way of legislation or regulation. I do not know whether responsibility lies with the Minister for the Environment or with the Minister for Justice, they are probably equally responsible.
Cork Corporation have, over the last number of years, fulfilled their obligations to travellers. I have been a member of the sub-committee for travellers for 11 years and in less than that time we have housed approximately 100 travellers in corporation houses in our area. We have also implemented a policy of providing four halting sites in the city boundary. Needless to say, discussions with residents groups have been long, protracted and bitter as the location of halting sites is a very emotional issue. Nevertheless we persevered and with the goodwill of many residents' groups and community associations we established the fact that four areas of the city would take a halting site each to cater for 40 families who were on our register at that time.
Three of those halting sites are now up and running and a fourth is at the planning stage. However, that is only the beginning of our problems because, while we have built three halting sites, there is now indiscriminate parking of caravans and trailers along city roads or on corporation property off the roads, about which the Garda apparently can do nothing. We obtained a prohibition order but it appears that this is not worth the paper it is written on. The officials of Cork Corporation are frustrated. They reported the matter to the Garda who have told them that they are powerless to act because they are not a hindrance to traffic as they are on public property.
What is needed to resolve this major problem once and for all is legislation which the local authorities will be able to implement rapidly. Approximately one month ago to clear space of ground in Cork city on which travellers had parked their caravans was cleared but last night the occupants of ten caravans filled in the trenches dug the night before in the presence of members of the Garda Síochána to prevent illegal parking. They are now parked in that property.
This is a very serious matter for us in Cork city. I have written to Ministers and to the city manager who has informed me that he can do very little under the present legislation except go to court to obtain an injunction but this takes up a lot of time and money. However, at the end of the day the Supreme Court have ruled that unless another halting site is available people cannot be moved on. We are bound by that ruling.
I maintain that Cork Corporation have met their obligations and have provided sites. It would appear however that Cork is a soft touch for traders and travellers, who arrive in convoys in Cork city. They can do what they like. They can park and trade where they like and create a huge mess. Residents' associations have pleaded with me to raise this matter at national level. I ask the Minister of State to contact his party colleagues in the area who I am sure would tell them the same story. I demand that the Minister of State give a commitment to introduce some legislation to prevent the indiscriminate parking of caravans in local authority areas.
