David Norris (Independent)

Well, what about it.

Quite a lot more must be done with regard to Travellers. We have a lack of sufficient data, particularly health data, and what we have is extremely worrying. Mortality rates and life expectancy among the Traveller community are dismal when compared to the control figures for the general population. The employment rate for Travellers between 25 and 44 years of age is 16% compared to 79% for the settled community. That is an enormous disparity.

Travellers feel particularly strongly about the Government's obdurate refusal to regard them as a group having its own ethnic identity and the refusal to recognise Travellers as a minority ethnic group. This is probably because it would put teeth into the fine sentiments of the Government and give a legal point to them. This was recommended by the Irish Human Rights Commission, the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, the Equality Authority and all Traveller organisations. It would be a democratic exercise for the Government to take this on board and at last recognise Travellers as an ethnic group.

We could spend the evening debating whether Travellers are an ethnic group. They have certain linguistic characteristics, an historical and cultural background and a different way of life. To some extent, the Government already acknowledges the distinctive culture of Travellers and assisted in establishing Pavee Point. It also acknowledges that Travellers are a separate social grouping. This means Travellers being a separate cultural and social grouping is acknowledged by the Government. The next logical step would be to acknowledge them as a minority ethnic group. That would also help in terms of translating stated policy into practice. Many observers believe it is invariably the Travellers who are expected to change rather than requiring society to accommodate a group which is already recognised as different.

A number of requests have been made which are worthy of consideration. The establishment of an ombudsman for Travellers has been sought. We already have ombudsmen for this, that and the other and it could help to resolve the sometimes awkward relations that exist between the settled and Traveller communities, the fault for which can fall on either side. I recall when playing fields were invaded and people were blackmailed by members of the Traveller community who asked for payment to leave. An ombudsman would be a useful institution in that regard.

I have a number of problems with the disgraceful way the Defamation Bill is scuttling through the House on Committee Stage, thereby disbarring 35 out of 60 Senators from speaking at all on Second Stage. A draft code of conduct developed by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform states: "Newspapers and periodicals shall not publish material intended or likely to cause grave offence or stir up hatred against an individual or group on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, colour, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, illness or age." Why is the Traveller community left out if the Government does not accept it is covered under "ethnic origin"? If it has not accepted the Traveller community as a minority ethnicity, it must be included separately.

I speak with a degree of authority on this because I pioneered the sexual orientation clauses in Irish legislation and, from the beginning, I coupled them with membership of the Traveller community. Every time legislation was gender or human rights proofed, sexual orientation and membership of the Traveller community were included. Why then have Travellers been excluded given that the matter in question seems to place them at a great disadvantage?

The rights of Travellers under international agreements, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, which was recently incorporated into law, exist on paper but do not mean much in practice. They may, for example, have the right to vote under Article 25 of the covenant but they do not have the right in practice because of the attitudes of local authorities. They are denied accommodation or given inappropriate housing and they are not registered by the very local authority which in some instances is at war with them. According to a document with which I have been supplied:

This dynamic is compounded when the agency that has failed to deal with your accommodation issues either appropriately or effectively is also the agency with responsibility for the electoral register. For example, in order for Travellers living on the roadside or in unofficial accommodation to register to vote the Local Authority must acknowledge that they are resident in the area.

I have raised the practical issues I would like the Minister to address, namely, the Press Council, an ombudsman, the right to vote and implementing in reality those rights that appear to be conferred by the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.