Ms Joanna Corcoran:

I am a member of the Traveller community and I live in Galway city. I am one of the community employment supervisors with the Galway Traveller Movement and I have worked from a human rights and community work perspective for the past nine years. I am passionate about equality challenging social injustice and I am willing to work to improve the situation for my community but I also need a system that is willing to work with me to address these issues. I am thankful for the opportunity to present today.

According to the 2016 census, Galway is the county with the highest population of Travellers in the country. The Traveller population numbered some 4,245 individuals which represents 1.6% of the total population. I will give some information on the background of the Galway Traveller Movement for those not familiar with the group. We were established in 1994 and we are an independent Traveller organisation for Galway city and county. We are made up of Travellers and non-Travellers. We have worked for more than two decades to challenge and respond to the structural inequalities being experienced by the Traveller community. The work of the Galway Traveller Movement has always been rooted in an understanding of and respect for the distinct culture and ethnic identity of the Traveller community. It is important that the official recognition of Traveller ethnicity is translated into tangible improvements in the situation and experiences of the Traveller community. The vision of the Galway Traveller Movement is to achieve full equality for Travellers and the full participation of Travellers in social, economic, political and cultural life as well as the broader enhancement of social justice and human rights.

Moving on to the subject of promoting and supporting the increased involvement of Travellers in decision-making processes in the public sphere, the Galway Traveller Movement recommends that the State ensure the meaningful inclusion of the voices and perspectives of the Traveller community at all levels of decision-making. To ensure that Traveller participation is meaningful, checks and balances need to be put in place and systems need to be developed to ensure transparency and accountability. We need to ensure that members of the Traveller community are protected under all legislation. We also need to ensure the full participation of Travellers in political and public life at local, regional and national level. This needs leadership and resourcing at institutional level. Barriers to Traveller participation must be removed and greater value needs to be put on the expertise that the Traveller community brings to the decision-making table.

Traveller cultural action needs to be meaningful. An independent assessment should be carried out on all legislation and policies that may have a negative impact on the Traveller community or on the expression of Traveller culture. Legislation and policies found to have negative impact need to be reviewed in line with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. Equality of outcomes for the Traveller community needs to be prioritised across all social policy areas.

The Galway Traveller Movement calls for the full implementation of the public sector duty as defined in section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014, which states:

(1) A public body shall, in the performance of its functions, have regard to the need to— (a) eliminate discrimination,

(b) promote equality of opportunity and treatment of its staff and the persons to whom it provides services, and

(c) protect the human rights of its members, staff and the persons to whom it provides services.

The development of a new national anti-racism strategy is essential to ensure that equality issues for the Traveller community are made mainstream. There needs to be an interdepartmental, cross-sectoral approach to eliminating racism towards the Traveller community. We need to develop and enact hate crime legislation in which Travellers are named as having specific protection. We need to ensure that Traveller children's rights are protected as part of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Traveller representation on the local Traveller accommodation consultative committees, LTACC, is set out in the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, to which Mr. Joyce referred. Members of the Traveller community are represented on LTACCs but we are not protected from the very real anti-Traveller discourse that is allowed and accepted in these meetings. The negative attitudes and prejudice that are widespread in Irish society are reflected in these meetings. I have experienced this first-hand as a local representative. This should not be allowed to continue. The power imbalance needs to be redressed and respect and dignity need to be central values for success in all representation. The Galway Traveller Movement recommends a full review and overhaul of the LTACCs to include, though not be limited to, the development of agreed terms of reference; the development of a communication strategy and working protocol for members; monthly progress reports to be circulated to all representatives; and the provision of anti-racism, equality, non-discrimination and cultural competency training which should be mandatory and repeated regularly for all LTACC and housing strategic policy committee, SPC, members. There should be meaningful participation in decision-making, with a view to getting real results for the Traveller community and public accountability with an LTACC which is accountable to the Traveller community.

The Galway Traveller Movement has produced two reports detailing the violation of the Traveller community's human rights in living in substandard conditions in most Galway city and county home sites and group housing schemes. Members can get a copy of those reports from us if they email us. There has been a complete lack of political will to date to deliver on Traveller accommodation programmes. Traveller children, young people and adults should enjoy an adequate standard of living compatible with a life of dignity. Traveller children should be able to live and grow up in a safe, healthy, sustainable and child friendly environment that supports their developmental and learning needs.

We need to challenge structural inequality and all its manifestations. Members of the Traveller community should have a right to participate. There need to be public campaigns to address the negative public attitude towards the Traveller community. Members of the Traveller community need to be central to the development of any such programmes because there should be nothing for us without us being involved. Members of the Traveller community need to be legally protected. I want the recognition of my Traveller ethnicity to be more than a symbolic gesture. Our culture matters and we are proud.