Ms Ronnie Fay:

May I make a point pertaining to ethnicity? One problem with the denial of Traveller ethnicity is that Travellers are not automatically included in anti-racism and inter-cultural initiatives, many of which are about promoting integration and mutual respect in Ireland. Because this ethnicity is not recognised, the units in those Departments that are dealing with anti-racism and inter-culturalism actually do not include Travellers. Consequently, Travellers have a unique experience of discrimination and we do not call it racism. This, for us, is a key and core part of the debate regarding ethnicity, because if one recognises Traveller ethnicity, one recognises that racism is the root cause of discrimination with which Travellers are faced. If one does that, one then seeks to address and challenge it in order that adults and children are not exposed to hate, racism and discrimination. This is a fundamental problem. The unit in the Department of Justice and Equality that deals with anti-racism and promotes inter-culturalism excludes Travellers. Travellers are dealt with by the Traveller division, and this is hugely problematic. For example, while the Government was developing the inter-cultural education policy, Travellers were excluded until we were obliged to bang down the door and demand to be included. Moreover, we then are perceived to be difficult, awkward and always complaining, whereas, were we to be included as a right, our input would be planned. As Mr. Martin Collins noted, we have campaigned for an ethnic question in the census since 1986. We finally succeeded in getting one in the early 1990s and it was only a Traveller question. When the ethnic question was introduced in 2002, Travellers were going to be excluded from it because they were not recognised as an ethnic group. That is the reason the question in the census is what is one's ethnic and cultural background. Really, however, the issue needs to be that ethnicity is recognised, that racism is named and that Travellers are included in anti-racism and inter-cultural initiatives.