Mr David Stanton TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for Equality, Immigration and Integration, has announced details of Phase 3 of the comprehensive consultation process in relation to the development of a new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy for 2016 - 2020.
The consultation process allows interested parties to make submissions in key areas such as anti-discrimination and equality, cultural identity, accommodation, health, employment, education, gender equality, public services and children and youth.
Phase 1 of the consultation process to develop the new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy was launched in 2015. As indicated at that time, the consultations to develop this Inclusion Strategy are taking the form of a three stage process as follows:
1. an initial round of consultations (undertaken in 2015) to identify the priority themes to be addressed in a revised national Inclusion Strategy;
2. a second phase of consultations (completed earlier in 2016) to identify and agree specific objectives under each of the themes identified in Phase 1; and
3. a third phase of consultations (now) to focus on identifying precise and measurable actions for achievement of each of the objectives that emerged from Phase 2.
At the end of Phase 3, a final draft of the Inclusion Strategy will be prepared by the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy Steering Group and will be then submitted for consideration and sign-off by Government.
A total of 38 submissions were received in Phase 1. These submissions were analysed by the Department of Justice and Equality with the help of Pavee Point. There was a high level of participation in Phase 2 among interested parties and it is hoped that the forthcoming (Phase 3) consultation sessions will be even more successful.
The Minister of State has published a set of suggested high level objectives and the related proposed actions for the new Inclusion Strategy. Views are now being sought specifically on those proposed actions. There are two ways in which people/groups can participate and make their views known - by emailing views to ntris@justice.ie and/or by participating at any of the following regional consultations: Sligo 22 September 2016 Sligo Park Hotel 10am – 3pm*
Athlone 23 September 2016 Radisson Blu Hotel 10am – 3pm*
Dublin 26 September 2016 Atrium, Department of Justice and Equality, 51 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 10am – 3pm*
Limerick 27 September 2016 Castletroy Park Hotel 10am – 3pm*
*including a light lunch
A copy of the current draft of the Inclusion Strategy can be found on the Department of Justice and Equality’s website here: http://justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/WP15000120