Ó Ríordáin hits out at ‘focus group equality’ ahead of Dáil vote

The Dáil will vote on Wednesday on a Sinn Féin motion calling on the State to recognise Travellers as an ethnic group.

Minister of State for Equality Aodhán Ó Riordáin will vote with the Government against the Sinn Féin proposals. However, last night he said everyone in the Dáil should stand by truth and “the truth is that the Travelling community in this State in this Republic are a distinct ethnic group” and they deserved recognition.

The Government’s formal response to the Sinn Féin motion states that the question of formal recognition of Travellers as a group with a “unique culture, heritage and ethnic identity is being considered in the context of the development of the new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy”.

The Minister of State did not read his official script.

He suggested the Government was slow to grant ethnicity because of the response from focus group polls.

He said: “I don’t accept the premise that we should deal in terms of popular opinion when advocating the rights of a minority.”

They should not be dealing in “focus group equality” and he did not believe they should be asking polling companies “as to where we should move with issues of equality”.

Sinn Féin justice spokesman Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said recognising Traveller ethnicity “would kick start a positive realignment of the relationship between the settled community and the Traveller community in Ireland”.

Mr Mac Lochlainn said the tragedy at Carrickmines “and the response by a significant minority of our people can only have reinforced the deep concern of the 40,000 men, women, and children that make up our Travelling community across this island”.

Mr Ó Riordáin said he had long been an advocate for Traveller ethnicity “but my efforts have been somewhat frustrated because I’m told that I have to take account of public opinion”.

He added: “The very fact that advocating for the rights of a minority is unpopular is the very reason we should drive forward to ensure that equality is realised.”

The move “does not require legislation. It does not require a Constitutional amendment”.

He said “could you imagine the type of debate we would have in this country if we put that question to the people considering that in this country you can pretty much say in public discourse, in polite conversation or write in a newspaper anything you want to say about the Travelling community and get away with it.”

Mr Mac Lochlainn said the State “has maintained a position for decades that amounts to ethnicity denial without having presented any evidence based defence of this position to our international partners and indeed the travelling community”.

He said the Oireachtas justice and equality committee examined the issue in 2013 and found each “excuse or concern” did not stand up.

“The formal recognition by this State of Traveller ethnicity will not be a magic wand or formula that on its own can address all of those challenges, but it will be a major step in the right direction and a permanent and positive realignment of the relationship between the settled community and the Traveller community in Ireland.”

Labour's Ciara Conway also signalled her support for the Sinn Féin motion. She said that in a briefing note TDs were told that there were three steps to recognising ethnicity – the Taoiseach and Minister for Justice had to make a statement to the Dáil, the State had to write to the relevant international agencies that it was granting ethnicity and the Government had to hold talks with Traveller representatives about the relevant legislation.

Ms Conway said “essentially we’re waiting on someone to make a speech or write a letter” and that was not good enough.