Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There has been foot dragging on this issue for a long time. Coming from the Traveller tradition - my mother and grandmother are Travellers - it is critically important that we define the rights and responsibilities of the Traveller community. This issue relates to their rights in terms of culture and their unique place in Irish society. When these have been firmly established and guaranteed, we can then deal effectively with the issue of responsibilities, as it applies to every citizen of the State. What consideration is being given to this matter? Is the Minister moving towards defining the Traveller community as an ethnic group within Irish society and has he been involved in consultations with the representatives of the Traveller community on the matter?

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