Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2026
245. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to develop a Traveller employment, enterprise and employment strategy with targets, accountability and protections for those who identify openly as members of the Travelling community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13237/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024 – 2028 (NTRIS II) and accompanying first Action Plan 2024-2026 were launched by the then Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman T.D., on 31 July 2024.
The Strategy is arranged into nine key thematic areas, which were identified as priority areas for action during the extensive consultations on the development of the Strategy held with Traveller and Roma organisations, Government Departments and Agencies, and other key stakeholders.
Theme 5: Employment and Enterprise in the first NTRIS II Action Plan sets out a range of actions, including one on the development and implementation of a Traveller and Roma Training, Employment, and Enterprise Plan, which was a commitment from the previous 2020 Programme for Government.
It is intended that the new employment and enterprise actions to be proposed for the second NTRIS II Action Plan 2027-2028 will effectively deliver the new Plan. Those actions will be informed by the progress made on the employment actions to date under the present Action Plan, and through consultations with the NTRIS II Employment Subcommittee.
The existing NTRIS II employment actions are being implemented by the Departments involved in the area of training, employment and enterprise; these Departments provide updates on progress to the NTRIS II Employment Subcommittee and to the NTRIS II Steering Committee by reference to key performance indicators and deliverables specific to each action, as set out in the Action Plan. The Departments concerned are:
• Department of Children, Disability, and Equality;
• Department of Social Protection, which oversees and provides secretarial functions to the NTRIS II Employment Subcommittee;
• Department of Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment;
• Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation;
• Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht;
• Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science.
