Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Tánaiste is aware that today is International Human Rights Day and in that respect, I draw his attention to the survey by the Vienna-based European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, FRA, on conditions for Traveller, Roma and Sinti communities across six EU countries. On Monday, the results of this survey were published. They point to a truly awful situation, with 31% of Irish Traveller households and 28% of Traveller children living in acute poverty. The rate of poverty here is the highest across the six nations surveyed. One in ten Travellers are in households where at least one person went to bed hungry in the past year. A full 65% experienced discrimination, again one of the highest levels in the six countries studied. The survey found that 70% of Travellers aged between 18 and 24 were not in further education and just 17% of women and 13% of men were in employment, mainly in part-time or precarious jobs.

This is an indictment of a society with what can only be called racist attitudes towards Travellers and Roma. It is an indictment of a State that has failed 7% of its population and of the political parties that have dominated government and local authorities since the foundation of the State. The treatment of Irish Travellers can be compared to the scandalous and inhumane treatment of women and children incarcerated in mother and baby homes and industrial schools. At the very least, they are entitled to an apology from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and a clear and precise condemnation of those politicians who, if not fostering it, are accommodating anti-Traveller bias.

This is particularly the case in the appalling record of local authorities in providing Traveller accommodation. On Monday morning, in response to this survey, Mr. Michael Collins of Pavee Point said that €69 million of funding for Traveller accommodation has not been drawn down since 2000. At least 45% of the funding for this year has not been drawn down by local authorities. While the Travelling community make up 7% of our population, some 15% of that community are homeless. The facts speak for themselves. Local authorities are not prepared to stand up to anti-Traveller sentiment. The issue needs to be taken out of their hands. We need a central government agency to take on this key question and to deliver. I will support this issue in the Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community.

I repeat my call for the Tánaiste to give an apology to the Travelling community for the fact that this is still happening three years after 1 March 2017, when Traveller ethnicity was recognised. I also call for serious action to tackle the multitude of issues the survey has identified.

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