The Workplace Relations Commission found that Noreen O’Reilly had not established that Traveller-ground discrimination explained why her family was not allocated a house through Cork City Council’s bidding system. In a decision dated 23 September 2022, the adjudicator found the complaint not well founded.
O’Reilly and her husband had been on the Council’s housing list since 2010 and bid on properties in 2020 without success. The Council said it considered eligibility, property size and applicants’ needs. In October 2020, the family accepted a furnished three-bedroom home in Farranree through a long-term lease scheme.
The adjudicator examined the family’s applications between July and September 2020. O’Reilly ranked 60th and 61st for two July properties, 65th for an August property and 34th for September homes. The adjudicator found the Council had considered her circumstances and made representations on the family’s behalf. The unsuccessful bids during the period did not, the adjudicator concluded, support an inference of discrimination.