Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)

First, I welcome the witnesses all here this evening and thank them for their opening statements. The Trojan work that each of their groups does nationally to protect and stamp out discrimination for all our society has to be welcomed and I wish them all well in the future. Obviously, discrimination is wrong at every level. That is why we are here to support and to help the organisations in the work they do.

My contribution this evening will be primarily asking reasonable questions, raising concerns and making observations on each statement. Some of my questions have been asked. I hope I will leave out some and that I will not be overlapping on others.

Many Travellers and Roma people do not report discrimination when it happens. I have seen this happen. What practical steps should be taken to make complaints easier and how important is it to provide free legal help to support people when they are using the equality law? I have seen Traveller groups being discriminated against publicly and I have heard no more of that action. How can we make it better?