Mr. Niall Crowley:

The focus on recommendations is very useful. The focus on social enterprise is timely because as Ms Mullen said earlier, there is the review of the national social enterprise strategy. It would be important that that review included outreach to Travellers and a tailoring of supports to Traveller social enterprise to address the particular needs the Deputy raises, that Travellers might have with start-ups and progressing social enterprises. The internships are important but they are important not just as work experience but more, as the Deputy said, as a route, an ongoing employment pathway and that was made very clear to us, I must say. On recommendations, the one which kept getting repeated was the importance of liaison workers and employment liaison workers engaging employers and Travellers who are trusted on both sides.

I would like to reinforce an additional point raised by Ms Mullen which has not really been picked up, namely, the area of the public sector equality and human rights duty. It is a requirement that all public bodies and service providers, including employment service providers, have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, promote equality and protect human rights. It is quite a systematic approach to equality and human rights. We need to see employment services be more systematic in their approach to equality and human rights. Once they are, they will better serve the Traveller community.

We need to see a higher rate of implementation across the employment services sector and a better quality of implementation across the sector. That legislation has been in place since 2014 and needs to make its mark at this point.