Ireland 'failing to provide appropriate accommodation for Travellers and local authority tenants' 

Spring Lane halting site in Cork: Watchdog acknowledged 'severe deficiencies in Traveller accommodation' such as overcrowding, structural hazards, absence of waste management and pest control, and the lack of basic services such as electricity, sanitation units and water. File picture: Larry Cummins

Ireland continues to breach its human rights obligations to provide appropriate accommodation for Travellers and social housing tenants, the Council of Europe has found.

In its latest report, the Council of Europe’s human rights watchdog, the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR), determined that Ireland continues to provide insufficient and inadequate accommodation for Travellers, and local authority tenants.

The ECSR ruled that Ireland was in breach of the Revised European Social Charter, a binding human rights treaty which the State ratified in 2000.

The ECSR found Ireland was in breach of Article 16 of the charter for a “chronic failure” to provide sufficient accommodation for Travellers, and maintain adequate conditions of existing sites. The committee also found there were inadequate safeguards governing Traveller evictions within the Criminal Justice Act 1994 and the Housing Acts 1992.

The ECSR acknowledged “severe deficiencies in Traveller accommodation” such as overcrowding, structural hazards, absence of waste management and pest control, and the lack of basic services such as electricity, sanitation units and water.

In terms of social housing, the ECSR ruled Ireland was also in breach of Article 16 of the charter as a “significant” number of local authority tenants reside in “inadequate” and “substandard” housing conditions with issues such as mould, dampness and sewage invasions, and rat infestations. 

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Housing estates ear-marked for regeneration as far back as 2002 have still not been upgraded, and the committee also highlighted that no complete statistics on the condition of local authority housing have been collected in 20 years.

No improvement

This year’s findings of the ECSR shows no improvement from last year, when Ireland was also found to be in breach of its human rights obligations to provide adequate housing to Travellers and those living in social housing.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), which made submissions to the ECSR on both Traveller and local authority housing, expressed concern about the findings that Ireland continues to violate its human rights obligations.

The IHREC emphasised that “housing is a public good and not a commodity”, and called on the Government to take strong and timely measures to address continued failings on housing policy and uphold its obligations under human rights law.

The Council of Europe has set out clearly that the State is still failing to meet its obligations to provide people with decent and appropriate housing. This is particularly acute in the area of Traveller accommodation. 

"Our recent work providing assistance to Traveller families has exposed issues of Travellers living in alarming levels of deprivation and poverty. These include families living without access to water or electricity, in conditions ‘thick with rats’, with children in particular suffering from acute health issues,” said Sinéad Gibney, chief commissioner of the IHREC.

“It is unacceptable that any human being should be forced to live in such conditions in Ireland in the 21st century. All families are equal in their need for a home where they can raise their children in health, safety and amongst their community,” she added.