Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is good that we have moved on significantly from that time, particularly in terms of the recognition of the Traveller community as an ethnic group last year. I thank Mr. Nevin for his practical suggestions, particularly his call for resource teachers to be reinstated. I was a primary schoolteacher and, therefore, I know that resource teaching worked. It was wrong to remove resource teachers and I support his call to reinstate them. I also agree with his recommendations to support male Travellers, in particular, to stay in education. A meeting will take place tomorrow in which Senator Kelleher is heavily involved. She is trying to create an Oireachtas joint committee that can deal with the issue of Traveller culture and come up with ways to provide assistance and support to the Traveller community.

I call Ms Valerie Maher, representing One Family