Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

It seems that fundamental changes are necessary to challenge the systemic racism that many Travellers experience at the hands of the Garda. There are several recommendations in the report and I would like a response from the Minister on three of them. The first is as follows:

The introduction of an ethnic identifier throughout the criminal process from the point of reporting to the point of sentencing, including entry and search of homes and stops and searches which must be recorded. A commitment to make the resultant data available to independent researchers.

In other words, it is a question of everything being clear such that one can analyse whether there is a racist approach. A second recommendation is the development, publication, funding and implementation of a criminal justice strategy for the Traveller community, with a remit right across the criminal process. The third is the establishment of a robust and effective independent complaints body operating across the criminal legal process and with a remit to accept and respond to complaints regarding any criminal justice agency or professional, including customs officers and judges, and with no continuing connection to any of the criminal justice agencies.

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