Mr. Martin Collins:

Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre is delighted to have this opportunity to address the committee at this historic event and to impress on members the importance of Traveller participation in the development, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes designed to address inequalities and racism and promote equality and inclusion.

For almost 35 years, Pavee Point has been working at local, national and international levels in the promotion and protection of Traveller and Roma human rights. One of the values that informs our work is the community development approach. At its core is creating the conditions for the full and meaningful participation of Travellers and Roma in analysing and identifying our concerns and issues and identifying potential solutions. In fact, Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre is based on the premise that there can be no significant or sustainable change unless Travellers and Roma themselves are empowered to fully participate and influence policy that creates positive change for our communities. To this end, Pavee Point has participated in a range of consultative mechanisms at local and national levels dealing with very challenging issues such as accommodation, education, health, employment and equality. This is what one may call a participative democracy. We are all still challenged to identify how we might straighten and make more effective these consultative mechanisms in terms of policy development and implementation. It is vitally important that we enhance and further develop community development funding lines for autonomous community development. This work must be based on the all-Ireland standards for community work. Many of the Traveller activists and leaders who are presenting or present today have been through a community development process. We are very fortunate to have such strong and articulate Traveller leadership at local, regional and national levels.

Far more effort and work is required to support Traveller and Roma participation in the political process at local and national levels. Through the years, Pavee Point and many other groups have engaged in voter education awareness initiatives to encourage Travellers to register and vote and to stand as independent candidates or members of a political party. I ask Senators to note that Pavee Point is apolitical and is not affiliated to or tied with any political party.

In June, the advisory committee on the implementation of the framework convention for the protection of national minorities, a legally binding instrument of the Council of Europe, published its opinion on Ireland. One of its recommendations was for "the Irish authorities to consider, in consultation with the representatives of the Traveller and Roma communities, legislative and practical measures to create the necessary conditions for their political participation, including representation at all levels, to more adequately reflect the composition of Irish society and better take into account the needs of the Traveller and Roma communities". The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, of which Ireland is a member, published a set of recommendations, entitled the Lund recommendations, on the effective participation of national minorities in public life. The recommendations provide guidance to member states on how best to ensure the participation of national minorities within their states. They cover general principles such as participation in decision-making, including arrangements at central, regional and local levels, in elections, advisory and consultative bodies and self-governance structures.

I am fortunate to have been appointed as a member of the advisory committee on the framework convention on the protection of national minorities. Article 15 of the convention refers to the participation of national minorities in various political structures. I have visited Georgia and Spain, which have created very inclusive structures for indigenous ethnic groups to be involved in decision-making processes. A very innovative structure has been created in Romania whereby Roma have a voice in the national parliament. I am aware from reading material that the Sámi community has its own parliament in Finland. There are innovative ways to create inclusion and participation and give a voice to indigenous ethnic groups such as Travellers. We can do so by creating affirmative action policies. For example, we could consider having quotas for Travellers in our Parliament or explore the concept of reserved seats, which is a tried and trusted method of supporting the inclusion of indigenous groups across Europe.

I wish to take this opportunity to highlight a relevant example. As members will be aware, Dr. Sindy Joyce was recently appointed to the Council of State. That was a significant and very symbolic development and we need to see far more in that regard. Travellers need to see their faces reflected in the Houses of the Oireachtas. If that were to happen, it would deconstruct the notion that our Parliament is the sole preserve of the majority population.

I look forward to the hearings and to engaging in the questions and answers sessions. More important, however, I look forward to the report, the recommendations it might contain and, most important of all, their full implementation. We have had many strategies and policies but the challenge of full implementation remains. If these policies and recommendations are implemented fully, there is no doubt they will enhance and improve things greatly for Travellers and the Roma community.