Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the three guests. We did not get to hear everything Ms Reilly wanted to say but we will all read it and it is all taken into consideration. A lot of the comments and criticisms are very fair. I sit on the Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community with Senator Flynn and I am very well aware of some of the things the witnesses are highlighting but there is nothing like hearing from people themselves of all the hoops they have to jump through to get to where Ms Reilly got to. In some ways it is great that she is able to hold herself up and for us to be able to hold her up as a model but it is also somewhat unfair on individuals to have to be that. Everyone has unique experiences and they all need to be met at whatever level and whatever way they want to experience the world and education.

I am interested in the witnesses' views on something the other committee has looked at, namely, accommodation and the failure of local authorities to draw down funds. I am from Galway where year on year, there has been a failure to draw down funding for Traveller accommodation, as well as general failures to prioritise children in halting sites that were supposed to be transient and have become permanent.

What part does all that play in educational achievement?

As Deputy O'Callaghan said, research shows that the pandemic has had an impact on all children in some ways but it has had an impact on the more marginalised more so than anyone else. Beyond that, there is another level, as I see it, namely, the racism experienced by Travellers that is not experienced by some other the vulnerable groups in society.

Consequently, there are three levels that have to be recognised. Targeted funding has to be part of this. We need to consider universality when we discuss preschool education and education in general. Targeted funding has to be part of that. Senator Dolan referred to funding to address the digital divide. What has to be front and centre is the fact that these cannot be one-off things; rather, there has been a failure over a long period that has to be made up for. I am happy to hear the views of the witnesses on my comments and questions.