Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is commonly said that men are bad at multitasking, but I have been multitasking successfully today. I have not heard the oral presentations but I have read the written submissions and I get the drift of what has been said. I am very encouraged by the submissions and what has come up in the discussion among my colleagues, in that we are focusing on prospective actions that could be taken. Each one of us attending the meeting is capable of spending an hour each discussing the reasons for the under-involvement of Travellers in employment. There is not one of us that could not discourse on that for an hour but that is no use in the long term. It is important that such research was done and that we had context, but now it is time for action. I am very pleased that is the mode of the discussion today.

I would like to mention a number of issues. There is no question about it but we will have to push this agenda as a committee. Those present might hear the bells in the background. I am in the convention centre. If people can hear me then I will continue. We need quotas in the public service, on community employment schemes, as well as on JobPath and other schemes. Each Government initiative in the employment and training spheres needs realistic quotas, as in the case of people with disabilities. The same is true of the public service.

I am interested in hearing the responses of witnesses and any I do not hear, I will read. We need support for employers. The Government must get involved in actively supporting employers to deal with this question. It is not enough to wish employers would take on Travellers and have anti-racism and anti-discrimination policies in their workplaces. That is a fine aspiration, but to give it expression we need practical support for employers and we should not shy away from that.

When they get the opportunity, the capacity of Travellers is very well chronicled in the Bounce Back Recycling business in Galway. That is a great example of success for Travellers and it should give heart to others. There is merit in giving support to Travellers for their own enterprises because that tradition is very deep-rooted. That should parallel the provision of support for employers to get involved, as well as putting in place a quota system.

If one wants to look at it in purely clinical or cold economic terms, there will be an economic output to such an approach, as taxes will accrue, as will savings. This is not a wasted investment or expenditure. There will be an output and an outturn from it and it is important to be aware of that.

The point about the prison situation is interesting and valid. In another context, I came across the fact that in London and other parts of England youth workers are employed who have had a challenging youth experience themselves. They may have had addiction issues or they went off the rails in some area and they are now employed by the state to work with other young people. The output has been impressive. I attended a seminar where it was discussed in detail. I will not bore the meeting further on it. I do not have the figures to hand but the output from it was impressive, hence the merit of the interventions in prison. One of the witnesses, possibly Ms Meadhbh Costello, who made that point is onto something big. There is enormous potential in that regard.

All in all, I just want to make those comments and to support the thrust of what other colleagues said. I agree with what Deputy Bríd Smith said about warmer homes. That is another area where an inbuilt quota system could be put to work. That idea has potential.

I no longer have the bells ringing in the background. Those are the points I wished to make. I look forward to the responses. I will listen to them and then I will leave to go on multitasking.