Ms Inez Bailey:

There has not been a specific adult literacy survey for the Traveller community. The most recent data we were able to find were in the Traveller health study provided by the Department of Health. I presume, since the Department is so concerned about the health outcomes for the Traveller community that it recognises adult literacy and numeracy issues as a major barrier to better health. We are supportive of the idea of trying to get data. Similar to what we heard from the HEA, the data have driven the action plan for Travellers in higher education. We think that if there were data on the levels of adult literacy among the adult Traveller community, it would be informative for an action plan for adult Travellers in further education and training.