Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I believe we have seen that leadership, namely, the decision made by the last Government, led by Fine Gael, to recognise Traveller ethnicity and identity, greater investment in public health, which the Deputy has acknowledged, more educational opportunities and the decision made by this Government, first to appoint a member of the Travelling community to the Seanad, which we all welcome, and the decision to change the system in respect of the allocation of housing moneys because local authorities have not been delivering the goods with regard to this issue. I absolutely appreciate that much more needs to be done and that the progress made in recent years has been inadequate. There are many different reasons for this. It is a bit simplistic and populist to just blame it on the Government. The discrimination Travellers face in our society is deeply ingrained and there are a lot of reasons for it. It is wrong, however, and it is the duty of Government to respond to it.

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