Written answers

Thursday, 4 July 2013

Department of Justice and Equality

Equality Issues

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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211. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on the European Commission's progress report on Roma integration, in which Ireland rated particularly poorly in respect of our treatment of Travellers, and whether he will immediately initiate dialogue with the Traveller organisations to ensure that, as a minimum, the EU Roma integration goals with regard to access to education, employment, health care and housing are met. [32799/13]

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I welcome the European Commission's progress report on Roma Integration which was published on 26th June 2013. This report is currently under consideration in the relevant Government Departments. My Department's role in the Strategy is one of coordination while the development of particular policy and implementation are a matter for my Government colleagues.

From Ireland's perspective, in relation to Roma specifically, it is important to note that the term “Roma”, as defined by the Council of Europe, refers to Roma, Sinti, Kale and related groups in Europe, including Travellers and Eastern groups (Dom and Lom), and covers the wide diversity of the groups concerned, including persons who identify themselves as “Gypsies”. By this definition, the vast majority of Travellers/Roma in the Irish State are indigenous Irish Travellers.

Ireland's National Traveller/Roma Strategy was developed following a communication from the EU Commission entitled “An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies" (April 2011) which requested that member states would, in proportion to the size of the Roma population living in their territories and taking into account their different starting points, adopt or develop further a comprehensive approach to Roma integration.This document thus includes relevant strategies that already exist in the four crucial areas of education, employment, healthcare and housing. It also mentions initiatives in place in the same areas to assist the Roma community who are citizens of the European Economic Area and are legally resident in the country. It should be noted that Traveller representatives are active participants on National Committees dealing with policy in all four areas mentioned by the Deputy and, in this way, were involved in the development of these policies. The Irish Strategy document is envisaged to be a living document and as time goes on there is nothing to prevent the development and inclusion of new actions in any of the sectors; however the actions in the Strategy are at present generic actions in relation to the population covered rather than Roma-specific.

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