Sir, - I am writing to express our concern at the tone and content of An Irishman's Diary of Wednesday, July 25th. While being fully aware of the role of such columns and columnists in seeking to stimulate debate, we have a number of concerns about this particular opinion piece.
"Travellers have been turned into handout addicts" would appear to be labelling Travellers as people who draw down social welfare out of some form of illness, rather than out of need.
Travellers are "handout addicts", according to the Diary, as a result of the "State and all its self-appointed Traveller groupies". This has been interpreted by many of the community and voluntary groups that have contacted us in relation to this article as an insult to them and their work. It would appear to seek to undermine in a very dismissive way the important contribution that community and voluntary groups have made in working to promote Traveller rights over many years.
The implication that Travellers do not or do not have to pay rent for their accommodation is misleading and inaccurate.
Travellers living in official halting sites are required to pay rent, even if the services that are provided to them by local authorities are sometimes sub-standard. According to Dublin Corporation's Traveller section, collection rates of rent are high and in line with the collection rates for all tenants living in local authority housing.
Legal action is taken by local authorities against tenants, including Traveller tenants on halting sites, who default on rent payments.
Travellers living by the side of the road obviously do not pay rent, as they are either homeless due to lack of adequate serviced site places, or because of lack of transitory site places. The very slow pace of site provision, despite recent legislation, was outlined recently in a report by the monitoring committee of the Task Force on the Travelling people, which has been highlighted by your paper on numerous previous occasions.
In relation to the issue of Travellers damaging the GAA pitch in South Dublin, no one would excuse such damage or deny the right of reporters to cover such issues.
However, context is required. South Dublin County Council's transitory and official permanent site programme has been very protracted and delayed for many years. Many Travellers, such as those living in St Maelruan's temporary official halting site beside the Tallaght Square (and the local authority), have been waiting for adequate facilities for over 20 years.
Unless South Dublin County Council and other local authorities adopt a radical change in approach, sites in Tallaght and other areas will remain over rowded and there will continue to be lack of transitory facilities, resulting in more Travellers being forced to camp in unsuitable places such as recreational spaces.
In terms of choice, Travellers do not "choose" to live in sub-standard conditions, in the same way that they do not choose to have higher morbidity and mortality rates for their children. - Yours, etc.,
Philip Watt, Director, National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2.