Dr. Robbie McVeigh:

It has a number of dimensions. With regard to the CERD process the State has been asked to change its position and it would be important to state we accept Travellers are a minority and proceed on this basis. The reason for the specific naming of Travellers in the North in the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 was precisely because people did not want to wait for 20 or 30 years for clarity on the issue. There is every case for having specific legislation which would name Travellers in precisely the way they are named in the North. People are broadly happy with this description. It clearly protects Travellers, but does not open up the category of Travellers to other groups which people do not want to see included. It is the obvious model for domestic legislation. People have also looked for a court case. There is no question the North was right to specifically name Travellers because if this had not happened the ambiguity which exists in the South could have continued for years.