A 16-year-old girl from the Travelling community has been given a favourable ruling by the High Court.
The Court ruled that South Dublin County Council has breached the rights of Ellen O’Donnell, who has cerebral palsy, by failing to provide her family with adequate temporary accommodation.
Ms O’Donnell, who is wheelchair bound, lives in a mobile home on a temporary halting site in Tallaght with her parents and six brothers and sisters.
The court heard that the mobile home is not fit for human habitation. The home is overcrowded, damp and overrun with mice. It does not have hot water or a functioning toilet.
Mr Justice John Edwards ruled that the mobile home can be repaired and Ms O'Donnell's parents must take responsibility for those repairs. But he also ruled that South Dublin County Council must engage with the family to provide them with assistance to access the necessary services and loans to carry out the repairs.
He ordered the Council to provide the family with adequate temporary accommodation pending their placement in permanent accommodation at the end of this year.
