Ms Ronnie Fay:

We lobbied for many years on the need for an independent press complaints authority and when it was finally introduced, the only ground excluded under the Equal Status Acts was the Traveller ground.

That was very telling for us and we do not believe it was an accident. It ran counter to the report prepared for the Department of Justice and Equality when it was making preparations for the establishment of the Press Council. The only ground excluded initially was the Traveller ground. This coincided with visits to Ireland by members of the advisory committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance. We brought the matter to their attention and I subsequently brought it to the attention of the National Traveller Monitoring and Advisory Committee. We lobbied the Department of Justice and Equality and many Deputies on the issue and succeeded in having the decision rescinded and Travellers included in the scope of the Equal Status Act. For this reason, we take the view that just because we are not paranoid, that does not mean they are not out to get us. The case I cited was a clear example of the further exclusion of Travellers.

In terms of the media, these developments took place at the time of the Pádraig Nally case.