Ms Carol Baxter:

On behalf of my colleagues, Sinéad McEvoy, Conor McGinn and Patricia Ballantine, I thank the committee for the invitation to appear before it today to discuss the implementation of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028, NTRIS II, and the associated Action Plan 2024-2026. This meeting is very timely because the NTRIS II steering committee met yesterday to discuss progress on the implementation of actions under the strategy. We welcome the opportunity to outline the progress made and to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to supporting the full and equal participation of Travellers in Irish society.

As committee members are aware, NTRIS II and its associated first two-year action plan were published in July last year, following extensive consultations with Travellers and Roma representative organisations, Departments and State agencies. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has responsibility for central co-ordination of the strategy and has oversight of the implementation of actions under NTRIS II. However, each Department takes responsibility for developing policy and implementing initiatives in respect of areas under their remit.

Since the launch of the second strategy last July, progress has been made across all nine themes of the strategy, as reported by the Departments and State agencies leading on NTRIS II actions. Specifically, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has progressed key developments in the initial implementation phase of the strategy, including in regard to early learning and care, and we will speak a little about this. These include the initial roll-out of the Equal Start model commenced in September 2024. Equal Start is a major new model of Government-funded supports designed to ensure that children and their families experiencing disadvantage, including Travellers, can access and meaningfully participate in early learning and childcare. Equal Start includes a suite of supports which are designed to ensure that every child and every early learning and childcare setting benefits from a continuum of supports.

A total of 17 family link workers have been appointed to support the implementation of the Traveller parenting support programme. These workers engage with Traveller parents of young children, supporting them to attend and participate in early learning and care and in school-aged childcare. Two Traveller and Roma early years advisory specialists have been appointed to focus on Traveller and Roma inclusion in early learning and care and in school-aged childcare.

One of the key commitments under NTRIS II is to achieve equality in education outcomes, and to ensure that Traveller children and young people are supported and valued in schools. In addition to supporting the Department of Education and Youth on the implementation of the Traveller and Roma education strategy, our Department has continued to provide funding for the Traveller and Roma education community development worker scheme, a targeted support scheme for Travellers in schools introduced in 2022. The education community development workers are employed by local Traveller organisations across ten locations in Ireland to enhance the learning experience and educational outcomes of Traveller children and young people and to address the challenges surrounding their participation and retention in and progression through the education system.

The Department has also focused on providing support for initiatives to promote and celebrate Traveller culture and identity. The Department provides, for instance, annual funding for Traveller Pride Week. Traveller Pride Week comprises a programme of events celebrating and recognising Traveller culture and identity in a variety of ways across the country. Every second year, the Traveller Pride Awards form a key part of the Traveller Pride celebrations to highlight and recognise individuals and groups that have made a particular contribution to the community and wider society.

The Department is also supporting the work, led by the Heritage Council, to develop a Traveller heritage strategy. It is anticipated that this strategy, which is being developed in close consultation with Traveller organisation representatives, will be completed by the end of the year. In addition, the Department supports the implementation of NTRIS II actions across a range of areas, including the Civil Service Traveller and Roma placement programme and the cultural awareness training standard.

With regard to the Civil Service Traveller and Roma placement programme, NTRIS II has a particular focus on creating employment opportunities aimed at improving employment outcomes for Travellers. The strategy commits the State, as an employer, to increase the number of Travellers and Roma in employment in the public sector and to build a positive and inclusive workplace culture. To this end, the Department is supporting the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and the Public Appointment Service, on the roll-out of the second iteration of the Civil Service Traveller and Roma placement programme. The recruitment campaign is under way and it is hoped that we attract a series of Traveller interns to benefit from the opportunity of seeing whether a public service job might be for them.

As part of the efforts to address the racism and discrimination faced by Travellers and Roma, the Department is working in collaboration with national Traveller and Roma organisations to develop an agreed standard for cultural awareness and anti-racism training. This standard will set a benchmark for cultural awareness and anti-racism training and will assist in ensuring that all staff across public and community sectors engage with, and deliver services to, members of the Traveller and Roma communities in a respectful, informed, accessible, and inclusive manner. The intention is to deliver public services in a culturally competent manner through a rights-based approach in line with the public sector equality and human rights duty.

On oversight and engagement, to ensure effective strategy implementation, while making sure that the widest range of voices are heard, we have put in place strong governance and engagement structures. Members of the Traveller community are represented on the NTRIS II steering committee and the related subcommittees on employment and education and on the recently established research committee. The strategy also provides for the establishment of a new national Traveller and Roma consultative forum to be held annually. The first forum is scheduled for 9 October next. The Department is finalising details for the event in close consultation and agreement with national Traveller and Roma organisations.

In the context of funding for Traveller and Roma initiatives, the Government is strongly committed to achieving the goals outlined in the NTRIS II strategy, and funding is provided for the effective implementation of NTRIS II actions. Since 2021, there has been an annual increase in Exchequer funding allocated for Traveller and Roma organisations and initiatives, from €4.925 million in 2021 to €6.132 million in 2024.

In 2025, there was a 6% year-on-year increase in funding provided to Traveller and Roma organisations. In all, €7.84 million has been provided from Exchequer funding and the Dormant Accounts Fund to support a range of initiatives across the various thematic headings of NTRIS II.

I reiterate the Department's commitment to the vision set out in NTRIS II to a society where Travellers enjoy full equality, inclusion and recognition of their distinct identities. We, along with the other Departments and agencies, have much more to do. We do not underestimate the scale of the work required, but we are clear in our purpose and committed to working in partnership with all stakeholders to bring about lasting, positive change.

I thank the committee for the opportunity to meet today and engage with it on the implementation of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II and the associated action plan.