Mr. John Meehan:

We have been invited to attend a separate committee meeting next week on the issue of Traveller health, including mental health. Travellers are seen as a priority group, just like young people. It reflects international statistics which show high rates of suicide within that community. It is also important to note that we fund Traveller movements within the country. However, I will reflect what my colleague stated, that it is an amalgamation of housing and health.

Having members of the Traveller community training themselves is also a target. International research from Australia, Canada and the USA has shown that training indigenous peoples to provide assistance in cases of self-harm within their own communities has better outcomes than training provided by statutory organisations. We hope to have a full report. I will be able to provide the committee with the details after next week's committee meeting.