Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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354. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will meet with an organisation (details supplied) to discuss the way an innovative, intercultural solution to tackle racism at a social and institutional level can become embedded into national policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49158/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Thank you Deputy Tully, I am meeting with the Yellow Flag Programme and Irish Traveller Movement on Monday 18 October.

As the Deputy knows, the National Anti-Racism Committee is an independent Committee established by Government in 2020 to develop a National Action Plan Against Racism. The work of the Committee will help to strengthen the Government’s approach to combatting individual and institutional racism and will build on the anti-racism actions included in the Migrant Integration Strategy (MIS) and the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS). The Committee will also examine international best practice in combatting racism and will benchmark its actions against these standards.

On the same day as the publication of their Interim Report, the Committee launched the public consultation phase of its work, which ran for twelve weeks from 21 April until 14 July. During this phase, the Committee accepted written submissions, conducted an online survey, and held a series of consultation sessions with stakeholders in order better to understand the nature and different forms of racism that are present in Ireland today. The Irish Traveller Movement attended a number of these consultation sessions, including the one on Education, and sent in a written submission.

Having completed its public consultation, the Anti-Racism Committee is now engaged in the preparation of the National Action Plan Against Racism, with a view to submitting a draft Plan to me for consideration in the coming months. I then intend to bring this Plan to Government and, subject to the agreement of the Government, hope to publish it early next year.