Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s vision is of a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland. This report will be a valuable contribution to the evidence base available to inform future policy development in this regard. While it is clear that there is more to be done, significant work is underway across the justice sector to develop better relationships with the Traveller community.

An Garda Síochána is committed to providing a human-rights focused policing service that protects the rights of all people with whom they come into contact. This is at the heart of the Garda Code of Ethics and the Garda Decision Making Model, and has been spoken about repeatedly by Commissioner Harris, who has put a strong organisational focus on equality, diversity and inclusion.

The Gardaí are seeking to embed the principle that human rights are the foundation and the purpose of policing in Ireland and have demonstrated this in recent years through the work of the Garda National Diversity & Integration Unit (GNDIU), and publication of an EDI Strategy and Action Plan.

An Garda Síochána ran their first diversity internship programme in 2022 aimed at highlighting pathways to employment in the organisation for minority communities, including Travellers. The programme received a highly commended award in the Inclusion & Diversity - large organisation category at the CIPD HR Awards 2023. I am pleased to say that sixteen participants commenced the second programme in June 2023.

Gardaí continue to develop good relationships with the Traveller Community and its representative bodies through initiatives such as the establishment of a Garda-Traveller Advisory Group, Garda-Traveller Dialogue Days, and Traveller representative groups assisting in providing training for Garda recruits and Garda members.

The Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 recognises that disadvantage and diversity issues underlie involvement of children and young people with the criminal justice system. The strategy commits to ensuring that Youth Diversion Projects reach all relevant young people in the community, including those from Traveller and Roma communities.

In the Third National Strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, which I launched in June of last year, the Traveller community is identified as a group requiring special measures. It recognises the need to reflect the lived experiences of particular cohorts of victims/survivors, including Travellers, and acknowledges the additional risks factors created by overlapping forms of discrimination. There are a number of actions in the Strategy including work to increase access by Traveller women to domestic violence refuges, and the establishment of a specialised group, which will advise on all interventions in terms of intersectionality and inclusivity for socially excluded groups including Travellers and Roma.

My Department is leading a number of important initiatives to ensure we better support victims of crime, including members of the Traveller community. When victims of crime begin to engage with the justice system, they should know what to expect, what their legally enforceable rights are, and the supports available at every step in the process. We are working to increase and strengthen the level of supports available and to ensure that victims are aware of, and receive, those supports.

These initiatives are, of course, in addition to ongoing work to support vulnerable victims through the implementation of Supporting a Victims Journey. Work in this area includes the establishment of a course - at University of Limerick - to train intermediaries. The O’Malley Report commits to the introduction of intermediaries whose role is to assist in the communication process, whether between lawyers and witnesses during trial or, earlier, during police interviews. In this respect, their role is somewhat akin to that of an interpreter and the intermediary’s loyalty is to the court.

Separately, the Department is also funding the Traveller women in prison project with the National Traveller Women’s Forum - a trauma-informed flexible model of support designed to meet the wide range of needs of Traveller women as well as their families.

I would also reference the important role of the Judicial Council in ensuring public trust and confidence in the judiciary. The Judicial Studies Committee has been established to deliver regular judicial training, including on judicial conduct and ethics, as well as highlighting unconscious bias and treatment of vulnerable witnesses. It is also worth noting that the Judicial Complaints process, provided for in the Judicial Council Act 2019, has recently been commenced. This represents the first time in the history of the State that procedures will be put in place to facilitate complaints about alleged judicial misconduct, which will promote public confidence in the judiciary and the administration of justice.

In 2021, the Probation Service published its Strategy Statement with inclusion firmly placed at the centre of their vision and work. As a core pillar of their Strategy, the Service is striving to become a more inclusive organisation by delivering fair and accessible services to all who come into contact with the Probation Service. They see it as their duty to identify and seek to remove barriers that may prevent reintegration, rehabilitation and access to life opportunities, enabling each of us to fully and positively participate in society, and incorporate working with the Traveller Community as an integral element of this.

The Probation Service partnered with the Irish Prison Service and St Stephens Green Trust to establish the Travellers in Prison Initiative which has been instrumental in helping the Probation Service address some of the key challenges and difficulties being experienced by travellers under probation supervision.

To address the matter of racist language and other forms of racism towards Travellers and those of other ethnicities/races, the Irish Prison Service incorporates training programmes to emphasise the need to treat prisoners as individuals, with humanity and respect and to act within the law at all times as part of the Higher Certificate in Custodial Care course for recruit prison officers and as part of continuous professional development for established staff. In addition, anti-racism campaigns are run throughout the year.

As is clear from the above, there are considerable efforts underway across the justice sector to ensure that the Traveller community have their rights upheld in all scenarios. The valuable report referred to by the Deputy provides an evidence base for the further development of policy to achieve this goal.