An intervention today from the advisory committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities follows a memorandum published by the human rights commissioner, Michael O’Flaherty, earlier in the week.

In its latest opinion assessing Ireland’s implementation of the Framework Convention, the committee welcomes progress on a number of issues while warning that people from the Traveller and Roma communities continue to experience discrimination, prejudice and institutional racism.

In particular, the committee says that culturally appropriate accommodation for the Traveller community remains a major issue in Ireland, resulting in further poverty, marginalisation and social exclusion.

It notes that racist incidents against Travellers and Roma are significantly under-reported and there is a lack of trust in the police, while Travellers are over-represented in prison for minor offences.

The 2023 National Action Plan against Racism should be clearly tailored to also cover anti-Traveller and anti-Roma racism, according to the advisory committee.

The opinion notes disproportionate unemployment and serious health issues among Travellers in Ireland, including a high rate of suicides and mental health problems. The Traveller economy and Traveller-led social enterprises should be further supported, it says.

Furthermore, the Traveller and Roma communities are significantly over-represented among the homeless population and many halting sites for Travellers are situated in environmentally hazardous and unhealthy areas.

Concerning education, the advisory committee highlights the disproportionate use and impact of reduced timetables for Traveller pupils and students. It calls for more efforts to provide intercultural education and for the Roma genocide to be included in school curricula.

The committee adds that the Traveller community’s participation in public life remains alarmingly low, despite some recent progress, including the appointment of a Traveller woman to the Seanad.