Politicians bid to improve travellers' lives

A cross-party group of politicians vowed today to bring the debate on Travellers’ rights to the heart of Government.

A total of 11 TDs and eight senators pledged to lobby ministers to improve the lives of the country’s 30,000 Travellers.

The Oireachtais Traveller Interest Group, launched today, said they will use their positions in Leinster House to improve education, health services and equality at every level of society.

Senator Joe O’Toole, a leading campaigner on Travellers’ rights for the past 25 years, said the group would be more than a talking shop.

“I would hope that this would not be a processing viewpoint for people’s views on the rights of Travellers. It can be a fulcrum for debate between the settled and Traveller communities, but all the time moving forward,” the Senator said.

“It should be about supporting and arguing the debate to bring Travellers into the centre of politics. I want to make it difficult, and I want people to deal with Travellers issues of culture and assimilation.

“That argument should take place at the centre of politics.”

The group called on the Government to look at how Traveller children could achieve more through schooling rather than simply throwing cash at the system.

Figures showed around 5,000 Travellers attend primary school at present and 1,500 have enrolled at secondary level, but few remain until the final year.

There are less than 20 Travellers studying at third level, the group said.

David Joyce, Irish Traveller Movement policy officer, said it was a worrying trait that while cash was flowing into the system the numbers staying on had not improved.

“There is a lot of money spent on Travellers’ education but questions have to be asked about the levels of attainment,” Mr Joyce said.

“It’s not a question of money, it’s how that money is being used. It’s not a criticism of how much is being spent but how it is being spent.”

Mr Boyce added the numbers of Travellers actually achieving anything at the end of their school life was in the 10s as opposed to the 100s.

The Oireachtais group headed by Independent TD Finian McGrath has support from Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, Senators Mary O’Rourke and Mary White, Sinn Féin’s Aengus O’Snodaigh and Arthur Morgan, and Labour’s Emmet Stagg among others.

The group pledged to lobby TDs, senators and ministers to;

:: Repeal laws allowing summary evictions of Travellers

:: Review spending policy on education to encourage more Travellers to stay in the system

:: Promote political debate on Traveller issues

:: Ensure equality legislation guaranteed the best results for Travellers

:: Increase understanding of the distinct and valuable culture, history and heritage of Travellers

:: Deliver good quality accommodation in the next 10 years

:: Ensure a full health strategy to improve Travellers’ health profile.