Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 217: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his discussions with the British authorities regarding the current hate campaign against Travellers in Britain. [14796/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to supporting front-line organisations which provide advice, counselling and support services to Irish people in need in Britain, including of course members of the Traveller community. The Government funds such agencies in Britain through the Díon fund. More than €22 million has been distributed since it was established in 1984.

Officials of the Irish Embassy in London continue to monitor closely the issue of Travellers in Britain and to maintain very open lines of communication with the various representative bodies and interested parties. To this end, embassy officials have been in contact with the incoming chief executive of the Irish Travellers' Movement, while officials of the Irish abroad unit and the embassy earlier this year met with Travellers' representatives and also visited various Traveller sites.

The particular needs of the Traveller community remain a priority area for Díon funding. Four organisations focused on helping travellers in Britain, which promote culturally appropriate initiatives in this regard, benefited from Díon funding last year, receiving a total of €226,560. In addition to this, a great many of the groups supported by the Díon fund offer services which are accessed by Travellers. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.