Mr. Bernard Joyce:

Looking at technology and the way we have moved, there are many opportunities to make the process accessible, user-friendly and not as bureaucratic as the current process. The Deputy referred to one example but there are other means that could facilitate voting rights in Ireland.

We must also give confidence to voters with regard to the political establishment. I was highlighting the challenges at local level and the witnesses from the National Women's Council referred to the fact that many people become Deputies having gained much experience at a local level but this does not happen with the Traveller community. There is not the same opportunity at a local level. There must be reform and a move away from a sense of the elite. People should be able to bring their own living experience, knowledge and insight to Parliament. It is also really important that the Parliament reflects the community it represents, which includes Travellers, minorities, black people and women.

How can we do that in a system that is very competitive and where people want representatives who look like them? That is a challenge. The last Traveller who ran for election to a Dáil seat was Ms Nan Joyce in the 1980s. She was the mother of nine children and never wanted to run but she just felt she had no other choice. At the time, some candidates canvassed on an anti-Traveller platform. They were using phrases like "knackers out of Tallaght". That was not a million years ago but during the 1980s. Against all the odds, Nan Joyce ran for election and although she was never elected, she highlighted her plight.

Travellers could not vote at the time and many still cannot. That means the people who voted for Nan Joyce were members of the settled community. She was able to bring them with her but she could not depend on her own community, as its members were not registered. It is an awful shame that the same position exists today. There is much work done in the sector to register Travellers to vote and there is an onus or responsibility on the State to ensure this process is accessible. It should also facilitate a process that works for everybody in the community, including those who move around.