Council's 'Travellers' stamp queried

The Equality Authority is to seek an explanation from Fingal County Council as to why an official council stamp containing the word "Travellers" is being printed on rent supplement forms for Traveller families.

The authority will consider the council's response before deciding if it should take a case to the Equality Tribunal.

One section on the rent supplement application form is completed by Traveller families when seeking private rented accommodation. Two other sections on the forms are completed by the local authority and the landlord renting out a dwelling. One Traveller family living in Fingal County Council's catchment area has claimed the "Travellers" stamp is frustrating their efforts to get a private house.

Mr Jim Maguire and his wife, Angela, and their eight children have been ordered by the High Court to vacate a plot of land at Applewood, Swords, within six weeks.

Mr Maguire said his family had been on the council's housing list for more than two years, during which time a suitable house had not been found.

He said yesterday the "Travellers" stamp on the form meant landlords were unwilling to rent him a house. "I've asked the council if they have a refugee applying for a house do they stamp 'refugee' on the form, or 'settled person' for a settled person, and they've said they don't. But they don't want to comment to me when I ask them why is the word 'Travellers' being stamped on our forms."

Mr Niall Crowley, the chief executive of the Equality Authority, said while he knew nothing about the Maguires' case, it was "difficult to know what reason the council would have (for such a stamp)".

"We have not come across this type of thing before. We're going to request an explanation from the council and we would presume that they will respond.

"But at this early stage I don't know what could justify it and it would appear to us to be quite serious."

Mr Alan Carthy, director of services for Fingal County Council, said the stamp was used for administrative purposes.

He said that under law the council was required to have a Travellers' section. Rent supplement paperwork handled by this section was stamped "Travellers" so that a community welfare officer working on a case would be aware the Travellers section was dealing with the application.

"The form is supposed to be completed by the person looking for a house when they find a place to rent. The section for the landlord should then be completed by the landlord and after that it would be stamped. The stamp is not supposed to be seen by the landlord."

The Maguires' form was stamped and signed by a council official before the landlord section was completed, meaning any landlord would see the stamp before renting a property to the family.

Mr Carthy said it was the family's responsibility to ensure the stamp was not put on the form before the landlord completed their section.