Colette Kelleher (Independent)
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I thank the Chairman. I thank the witnesses for their wonderful presentation and kind words. I went to the Traveller Counselling Service conference in Dublin Castle last week, which was really well attended and included two Ministers. I was struck by the positivity of the conference even in the face of adversity. There were people there who in recent weeks had lost young men to suicide, but they were there wanting to work. The name of the conference was Bridging the Gap through Partnership, and the resilience that has been described was clear, as was the link between recognition of ethnicity and people's sense of well-being and self-esteem. There are many legal and political implications, but people's sense of themselves and the wish to live was really clearly made. Two European bodies have made judgments against the Government regarding violations of Traveller rights, including the recognition matter. Will the witnesses briefly update the committee on these judgments? Do they recommend that the committee considers the findings of the judgments and advises the Government on their implications?