Ms Rachel Doyle:

I thank the committee for inviting us to present this morning on key issues of importance for Travellers. We will describe the background of our organisation, present some of the issues relating to the participation of Travellers in decision-making and also present some recommendations, some of which are in our submission. I am community development worker and I have been involved in Traveller organisations for the past 25 years, as has my colleague, Ms Ann Irwin, who will speak later. We have both been involved in producing reports recently. I was involved in writing the report on Traveller women in prison, produced by the St. Stephen's Green Trust. Ms Irwin recently produced a publication on Travellers and horse ownership. Community Work Ireland is a national network of community workers that supports and promotes community development as a means of intervention for social change and equality.

Mr. Collins and Mr. Joyce both referred to community development as a process underpinning the work of many Traveller organisations. Community development is a discipline and an internationally recognised approach to promoting equality, social justice and human rights. Community development works on the principles of participation, collectivity, community empowerment, social justice and sustainability, human rights, equality and anti-discrimination. We look forward to the forthcoming production of the new strategy which the Department of Rural and Community Development is about to publish on community development and supports for the community sector. That will be very relevant for work with Travellers. Over the past 35 years, our organisation has had strong ties with the other organisations present, including the Irish Traveller Movement, the National Traveller Women's Forum and Pavee Point. People working in those organisations have helped to shape our organisation and community development in Ireland. Travellers have led much of that work over the past three decades. In turn, Community Work Ireland has tried to share that space in promoting rights for Travellers.

A key focus of our work is on ensuring that the voices of those who experience the highest levels of social exclusion, inequality and discrimination are present, listened to and heeded in the decision-making and policy-making structures and processes that affect their lives. Ms Irwin will run through some key issues related to this theme.