John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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411. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the full expenditure within her Department in 2025 to tackle inequalities suffered by members of the travelling community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50602/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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In 2025, expenditure by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality to address inequalities experienced by members of the Traveller community is outlined in the table below. The spending under both subheads supports the objectives of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024–2028, for which the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is the lead department. It should be noted that a small portion of this expenditure also relates to the Roma community; however, it has not been possible to disaggregate this element from the overall figures.

Table: Expenditure by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality to address Traveller inequalities

An additional area of relevant expenditure is Equal Start. This is a funding model and a set of associated universal and targeted measures to support access to, and meaningful participation in, early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) for children and families experiencing disadvantage. Traveller children and families are identified as a priority group under this initiative. Expenditure on Equal Start in 2025 was €14.685 million.