The burning of a Traveller’s home in County Donegal.

Deputy Finian McGrath

To discuss the very serious problem of anti-Traveller discrimination in our society in light of recent events in Donegal and the need for dedicated action and initiatives which might help to combat this problem

Deputy Dessie Ellis

Minister’s Opening Remarks

I would like to thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality who is unable to be present due to other business.

The shocking incident in which a house at Parkhill, Ballyshannon was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Monday 11 February is of great concern to the Minister, as I have no doubt it is to all in this House.

The Minister understands that the house was completely engulfed by flames and that Gardaí had to evacuate a number of other houses in the vicinity. Thankfully, it appears that no one was injured, but the incident clearly had the potential for a tragic and possibly fatal outcome. The Minister would like to pay tribute to the Gardaí and Fire Service personnel who responded very effectively to this emergency incident.

The Minister is well aware of the suggestion that the fire may have been started deliberately and that it may be the result of an anti-Traveller attack. Needless to say the Minister, and the Government, would condemn any such acts without reservation, and anyone motivated by discriminatory and racist attitudes should be aware that all illegal actions will be met with the full force of the law.

The current position is that the incident is under investigation by An Garda Síochána. I am sure Deputies will appreciate that it would be inappropriate to comment in any more detail on the progress of the investigation. We need to allow the Gardaí the space and time to do their job. In the event that the Garda investigation indicates that the fire was the result of a criminal act the Minister has every confidence that the matter will be pursued by the Gardaí in a thorough and fully professional manner. On behalf of the Minister I would appeal to anyone who has any information which might be of assistance to the Gardaí to come forward.

The commitment of An Garda Síochána to tackle racially motivated crime is underlined by the work of the Garda Racial, Intercultural and Diversity Office (GRIDO), whose services are available to any person who believes a crime to be motivated by discriminatory or racist attitudes. In such cases the GRIDO office will assist victims as well as the investigating Gardaí to ensure that the incident receives the appropriate attention. The GRIDO also monitors crimes which have a racist motivation on a constant basis so as to ensure that all such crimes are properly recorded and investigated.

The Minister is aware of course that issues relating to the accommodation of Travellers have been brought into this discussion. Travellers in Ireland have the same civil and political rights as other citizens under the Constitution, including in terms of access to public services such as local authority accommodation. All the protections afforded to ethnic minorities in EU directives and international conventions apply to Travellers because the Irish legislation giving effect to those international instruments, such as the Equality Acts, the Unfair Dismissals Acts and the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, explicitly protect Travellers.

Government policy in relation to the accommodation of Travellers is implemented through the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998. All relevant local authorities are obliged, under the Act, to adopt and implement multi-annual Traveller accommodation programmes, with the aim of improving the rate of provision of accommodation for Travellers. Significant funding has been made available for the provision of Traveller-specific accommodation over many years.

In conclusion, the Minister would like to assure the Deputies that there is no question of this Government entertaining any suggestions that Travellers should be regarded as anything less than equal participants in modern Irish society.

 

ENDS