Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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556. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide information on resource allocation by his Department for the implementation of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II. [41406/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I secured an increase of 6% in the provision for Traveller and Roma initiatives in the recent Budget, which will bring total spending to €6.5 million in 2025 for my Department. This increased allocation will be used to deliver relevant actions under the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II (NTRIS II) Action Plan 2024 - 2026, including supporting local and national organisations and programmes in the areas of employment, social inclusion, education, counselling and mediation services. Some of the additional funding will address cost of living pressures faced by the different organisations while resources will also be made available for new actions under the NTRIS II Action Plan 2024 – 2026, especially in the priority area of supporting Traveller and Roma employment.

I would anticipate that further funding to support Traveller and Roma projects will be provided under the Government’s Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan for 2025, which I expect will be announced shortly. Under the current Action Plan, my Department is being provided with a total of €2.2 million to advance Traveller and/or Roma community initiatives in 2024.

It is important to note that funding to address the specific needs of the Traveller and Roma communities is allocated across a range of Government Departments and State Agencies in accordance with their respective areas of responsibility (e.g. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to accommodation; Department of Health in relation to health; etc). In their funding decisions, Departments and Agencies will take into account the actions that they have committed to implement under the NTRIS II Action Plan 2024 – 2026.

Finally, I should advise the Deputy that an improved staffing resource has been put in place within my Department’s Traveller and Roma policy team to help drive the implementation of NTRIS II initiatives that come within the responsibility of my Department.