Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for coming before the committee and I welcome those who are present in the Gallery. I spoke to the latter earlier and discovered that one of their number is a native of Offaly. It was lovely to meet all of them.

Our guests' presentations have been both informative and educational. In the context of what they are seeking, have our guests liaised with the Department of Justice and Equality's Traveller policy division? Have they engaged with the Garda racial, intercultural and diversity office? Our guests stated that the fact Travellers are not identified as a separate ethnic group excludes them - unless they have to do battle - from the various projects to which they want access. To what type of projects are they referring? Of the 40,000 members of the Traveller community to which reference was made, how many are actually settled, how many move during the summer months and how many are always on the move throughout and out of the country?

I take our guests' point with regard to recording Traveller history. It is extremely important that it should be recorded. I have seen many old photographs of members of the Traveller community and, as a county councillor and a member of my local authority's Traveller committee, I received the magazine for a number of years. I found the magazine fascinating and there is no doubt that the Traveller community has an incredible history which we do not discuss enough.

Mr. Collins referred to the Roma community in Romania and ethnic recognition. Is there any evidence available in respect of how successful this recognition has been for the Roma community in Romania? What can we learn from what happened in that instance?