Ms Sinéad Gibney:

I will make a couple of short comments, if I may, and make some recommendations for the committee to consider as it approaches this stage of its interim reporting. I mentioned Traveller and Roma rights in my opening comments and that is an important area to consider. The Border represents a whole different concept for those communities because of the nomadic lifestyle they enjoy. It is important to consider how Brexit will impact those groups and their freedom of movement.

I also suggest that the committee takes into account an issue I have raised in passing with the shared island unit and on which I hope to have more in-depth discussions with the unit, that is, the awareness raising or information provision about Brexit for communities on this side of the Border. I believe there has been an emphasis on the impact of Brexit on businesses and trade but perhaps not enough on how it will impact those communities. We need clarity on where that responsibility lies and how it will be undertaken. Those communities are in a slightly suspended state at the moment because of Covid but their lives are going to be transformed because of this process and support needs to be given. IHREC remains available to support in that area. Our role within the dedicated mechanism and our connection with the two commissions means we are well placed to report in that regard and potentially to assist. The Government needs to consider how the State is supporting those communities, providing information and raising awareness of the potential impacts Brexit is going to have on their daily lives.