Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá dhá cheist agam, ceann amháin faoin equality-disability miscellaneous provisions Bill agus ceann eile faoin Lucht Siúil agus an gealltanas i gclár an Rialtais faoin national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy. Leanfaidh mé ar aghaidh leis an gceist faoin Lucht Siúil ar dtús. The Government signed up in November 2000 to the European Social Charter, including Article 16, which covers the rights of the family to social, legal and economic protection. In the last programme for Government, there was a commitment to deliver on the principles of social inclusion for the Traveller community. The current programme for Government makes a similar commitment and that includes a commitment to publish a national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy this year.

The report of the European Committee of Social Rights and the treatment of Travellers in the Dundalk area of my constituency in January and again in the past week provide evidence of the failure of this commitment. When will the Government publish its Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy? Will the Tánaiste give a commitment that the strategy will take into account the landmark judgment against the State on these issues? Will she also give a clear date by which the distinct ethnicity of Travellers will be recognised by the State? Some 19 months ago the previous Government gave a commitment to do this within six months. Will the Tánaiste also urge the Minister for the Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, to use his authority to prevent further evictions of Traveller families?

On the Equality (Miscellaneous) Provisions Bill, the State signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007. Despite a commitment to ratify the convention in law in the previous programme for Government, ratification did not proceed. The new programme for Government contains much of the same rhetoric as its predecessor and commits to the introduction of enabling legislation. Five and a half years after this commitment was made, the relevant Bill has not been published and did not even make it to the most recent list of priority legislation. The new Minister of State with responsibility for disability services stated the UN convention would be ratified within six months and the programme for Government includes a commitment to bring draft legislation before the Oireachtas before the end of the year. When will the legislation be introduced and when will the UN convention be ratified? The new super junior Minister indicated it would be ratified within six months.

See this speech in context