Anti-racism training for teachers recommended in 'hard-hitting' Traveller report

In cases of people wishing to remain living in caravans or mobile homes where they are deficient, they should be immediately replaced through an expanded “loan scheme” or by direct supply by the relevant local authority, it said.

The report is based on submissions received and heard by the Committee and comes amid what it describes as "a culture of low expectations" regarding Travellers, whose experiences of racism and discrimination mark much of their lives.

Recommendations include:

• Mandatory cultural awareness and anti-racism training should be rolled out across all State services that engage with the Traveller community;
• There should be a ring-fenced health budget for the Traveller community within the Health Services Executive (HSE) that cannot under any circumstances be appropriated to make up for shortfalls elsewhere within the HSE;
• Intercultural and Anti-racism training should be rolled out to all serving teachers as a mandatory part of their Continuing Professional Development;
• Affirmative action policies should be introduced to encourage more people from ethnic minority backgrounds, including Travellers, to enter teaching;
• A comprehensive national Traveller employment action plan should be developed, resourced and implemented;
• A six-month pilot preferential caravan loan scheme is already operating in four local authority areas. The scheme will allow participants to draw down up to €30,000 and the Department hopes to roll out the scheme nationwide in 2022, following a review of the pilot.

For example, the report outlines the poorer health outcomes and reduced life expectancy of Travellers compared to the settled population, and said there is a "crisis in mental health in the Traveller community".

"Travellers’ daily experiences of racism and exclusion have a profound effect on their mental health," it said, adding: "The health status of Travellers is impacted by a range of social determinants, most severely by overcrowded and substandard living conditions" and that racism and discrimination play a role in lower engagement with health services.

It said the development of a National Traveller Health Action Plan should be published as a matter of urgency, with clear targets, indicators, outcomes, timeframes and budget lines, alongside ethnic equality monitoring.

It also referred to the "severely worse educational outcomes" for Travellers, adding that the "excessive application of reduced timetables for Traveller students in recent years is a point of concern", something that will now be curbed by new guidelines being introduced next month.

"The inclusion of Traveller culture and history in the school curriculum could have a huge positive effect on the experiences of Traveller students," it said.

The report also referred to labour market discrimination and the need to connect employers with potential Traveller employees through a mentoring programme, and to the disproportionate levels of homelessness experienced by Travellers. It said nomadism was desired by some but that there are currently no transient sites and no plans for the same in any of the 31 local authority areas.

Committee Chair, Senator Eileen Flynn, referred to "dire conditions" at sites visited by Committee members.

She wrote in the report: "Over the years there have been numerous reports and studies produced which have highlighted the extreme difficulties and challenges faced by the Traveller community. Unfortunately, it is clear that these have not succeeded in improving conditions in Travellers’ lives. With that in mind, our key aim in writing this report is to produce a list of focused and strong recommendations that, if implemented, could make a major contribution to improving outcomes and quality of life for Travellers."