THE SOUTHERN Health Board yesterday defended its decision to give supplementary welfare allowances to members of a new age traveller community which is allegedly creating a health risk by camping in an area without sanitation.
Over 30 new age travellers have taken over Rabbit Island, a land linked area near Crosshaven, according to some Cork county councillors. The councillors allege the travellers have blocked access to the island by dragging their buses across the road.
Local Fine Gael councillor Mr Graham Brennan, has accused the new age travellers of allowing their dogs to spoil the area. Fellow Fine Gael councillor, Mr Sylvester Cotter, claimed the travellers were defecating on neighbouring land.
The Cork South Central Fianna Fail TD, Mr Batt O'Keeffe, said he was concerned at the Southern Health Board paying assistance to people who, he alleged, "were breaking the law" by squatting on the land.
The SHB community care programme manager, Mr Pat Madden, said there were seven new age travellers at addresses around Crosshaven getting supplementary welfare allowance.
"These people have been assessed and deemed eligible to receive such payments. Such allowances may be payable to people who have no means or insufficient means to meet their needs of any adult or child dependants."
Mr Madden said the sanitation of the site came under the remit of Cork County Council, adding that the health board had not given money to the travellers to buy dog food.
A member of the new age traveller community, Mr Steve Richards, rejected the councillors' allegations, saying there were just nine adults and eight children on the site. The highest number of travellers there was 20 adults last summer.
Mr Richards admitted they did not have normal sanitation. While they used a site in a nearby wood as a latrine, all excrements buried. All dog excrement was either collected or doused in petrol and burnt each day.
He also denied they had blocked off the main road with buses. One of their buses got stuck in mud and protruded over the road for two days before they hired a JCB.
Another member of the traveller group, who would only identify himself as Moz, said the group did not agree with the actions of another group of new age travellers who reportedly pulled off slates and tore up floor boards at an 18th century home near Fermoy. "I visited friends at Fermoy during the summer and the place seemed OK. People were using the rooms, not abusing them, and that was OK but ripping up floorboards doesn't give us a good name."