Ms Maria Joyce:

The problem with that is that it is always someone else's responsibility. The Department of Health has responsibilities here and it has resources. It is not only about what the HSE should be doing on this and us handing over to it; there are responsibilities. Health is not a tiny Department. It is important to acknowledge that it has responsibilities. This was a point made by Ms Sherlock.

We must also be careful that we are not blaming Travellers for the state of their health. I am not saying that is what Deputy Ó Cuív is doing but it is really important that we do not do this. Yes, there are problems with substance abuse, but that does not define who Travellers are. There is an effort to tackle those issues and deal with them where they impact particularly, such as among younger sections of the population. We have struggled with getting the recognition of Traveller ethnicity and its impact on identity. There is the question of Travellers having to hide who they are when seeking employment. These are all factors. We need to bring this back to the specific responsibilities of the Department sitting before the committee today and how those responsibilities are not being met, based on its own policies, strategies and recommendations. These are not being adequately resourced or matters are being funnelled one way instead of a holistic approach to the remit being taken.

I hear what the Deputy has said to a degree around comparing Travellers who are educated and those who are not but we need to be very careful around the thinking.