Mr. John Meehan:

To answer the question posed by Deputy Collins, one of the actions set out relates to the HSE and other relevant bodies, in consultation with Traveller organisations and other stakeholders, working towards a phased incremental implementation of a standardised ethnic identifier across all administrative services. This goes beyond the coroner and the implementation of that. The Department of Health and HSE are co-operating with the Department of Justice and Equality's roll-out of a standardised ethnic identifier. Implementation of ethnicity recording is an action in the forthcoming HSE intercultural health strategy. We cannot look at this in splendid isolation; we have to look at it collectively with all the priority groups. It is identified as an action and is being progressed as such. I apologise that I did not allude to that earlier.