Ms Anne Costello:

I thank the Senator. Self-employment is a popular choice among Travellers because their tradition is one of self-employment. They have always been the entrepreneurs. It also protects them from discrimination in the workplace if they are employed by themselves. I have only begun to explore the back to work schemes. I was hoping that it could be introduced into prisons so that Travellers in prison and other prisoners could start preparing for this back to work scheme while in prison and doing up their business plans so that, when they come out, there is not a long gap before they can start back in to employment. My understanding is that the back to work scheme has got much more complicated, bureaucratic and difficult to navigate. We need to look at back to work allowances that work, are real and will make a difference for people who are distant from mainstream employment and are choosing to work as entrepreneurs.

The Senator mentioned the internship in the Department of Justice, which is welcome, but it is just four or five positions. We are glad that the gardaí have also introduced an internship for Travellers but this needs to happen across all public bodies. It has to be mainstream. We have done pilots. We did pilots 15 years ago which show that this works. Those internships have to lead to jobs. That is the only way. It is about word of mouth in the community. If somebody goes in for a year to do an internship and leaves without a job, that does not give the community hope. If people are able to do the job, then the internships have to lead to a job.

Mr. Ward might speak on self-employment because that is his area of expertise.