Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Recognition of Traveller Ethnicity: Discussion

9:00 am

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. At the outset, I reiterate Deputy Jim O'Callaghan's comments about the previous committee having done a lot of work on this issue. The work this committee is doing is not to replace that committee's work but will complement it and keep the issue on the political agenda. I also acknowledge the efforts by the Chairman, Deputy Ó Caoláin, to keep this on the agenda. There is no doubt that the State's treatment of the Traveller community is absolutely disgraceful. I would fully support any Taoiseach or Minister for Justice and Equality of the day who would come into the Dáil Chamber to acknowledge Traveller ethnicity. Any Taoiseach or Minister for Justice and Equality who did that would find strong support across the political spectrum. The question is, why has it not happened to date? There are probably a number of reasons, but the glaringly obvious reason is that we have a permanent government within the State which is unaccountable, has not been elected, and which has dictated policy for decades.

There is institutional prejudice against Travellers at that level in the State. This is one of the reasons in my opinion. Not only should a Taoiseach or Minister come in and acknowledge Traveller ethnicity, he or she should apologise for the State's treatment of the Traveller community over decades, going back to the commission on itinerancy right up to the present day, even 12 months ago and the appalling aftermath and treatment of the Carrickmines tragedy, which was absolutely disgraceful.

There absolutely needs to be political will, but I cannot get my head around what is stopping any Taoiseach or Minister from coming in and acknowledging Traveller ethnicity. It is not something that will be opposed in the Chamber. It is not something that any political party will seize on as an opportunity to score a political point. There is cross-party support for this and it needs to happen. There is no excuse for it and no rationale as to why it cannot happen. Even if it was an issue of cost, how is cost measured? We have financial costs but we also have human costs. While these excuses may have been reasons down through the years, they do not stack up, and they particularly do not stack up with the Attorney General's statement that there is no impediment when it comes to cost. This is about a political choice by the Taoiseach or the Minister of the day coming in, not, as has been said, bestowing a gift on the Traveller community but acknowledging it; and not only acknowledging it, but acknowledging that the State has played a huge role in decades of institutional societal racism, prejudice, discrimination and the need to recognise this. The recognition of Traveller ethnicity would be a start, and an apology would go an awfully long way in the community. This is what needs to happen. I do not believe anyone on the committee would be opposed to this, and if there is, that person should not be on a committee entitled the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality.

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