Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will have to be fairly swift with this. Mr. Joyce made reference to the culture and creativity strategy and how there was no meaningful engagement with Travellers on that, and that Travellers did not fare in any way, shape or form and got very little of that fairly sizeable funding of €6.6 million. He also said the procedure for getting funding through the local authority community or county arts offices is problematic "where systemic discrimination is ingrained". I could use the word "shocking" but it is not either if you know what I mean.

It is unbelievable that they are still experiencing that at local authority level and in terms of local authority status. Can Mr. Joyce outline an example of that sort of thing or of where there is no engagement and no outreach. Where they feel there are obstacles, what mechanism have they to reproach that?

I have a question for Ms Costa Sa on her point that the funding is scattered. Does she think a central database of funding would be easier and more accessible? Does she think that could do away with some of the obstacles and problems, and that it could be considered to make funding more accessible?

Mr. Collins asked for Travellers to be explicitly named and he said that if they are not named in local authorities, they do not register at all. Again, it is shocking that they still have to flag up those sorts of issues. If it is not happening at local authority level, what needs to happen at Government level to cut that out altogether? With regard to ring-fencing of funding, has his organisation made approaches to the Minister or to the various Departments about ring-fencing funding, what response has come back and what obstacles have been put in its path? How do they right this wrong if that is still going on and if they have to constantly battle every day, even at local authority level?