Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

During the course of the examination by a working group of the UN Human Rights Council of Ireland's report to that council, prepared under the universal periodic review procedures of the council, the Minister, Deputy Shatter, was asked, among many other matters, about the position of Travellers in Irish society. One delegation specifically recommended that Ireland should recognise Travellers as an ethnic minority while other interventions were of a more general nature. The Minister replied that serious consideration is being given to granting such recognition. The Minister is aware of the long-standing wish of many Travellers that such status be granted and that the previous Government was of the view that Travellers are not an ethnic minority. He is also aware that this is not necessarily the unanimous view of all Travellers.

The Minister is aware that dialogue between staff of his Department and representatives of Traveller organisations has taken place in the past on the issue, for example, during the course of a seminar on the third State report under the Council of Europe Convention on National Minorities. In addition, the national Traveller monitoring and advisory committee, on which sit representatives of all the national Traveller organisations as well as officials of the Department of Justice and Equality, earlier this year established a sub-group specifically to consider the issue of Traveller ethnicity. Consideration of this issue is ongoing and it is intended that the question will be before the Government for decision as soon as possible.

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