Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2016
139. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 109 of 31 May 2016, the officials within her Department tasked with undertaking a review of the funding in relation to Traveller and Roma initiatives for 2017; if she will guarantee that there will be no loss in funding to the sector; when she will complete the review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16056/16]
View answerAs mentioned in the response to the previous Parliamentary Question, the total funding available to my Department in respect of Traveller and Roma initiatives for 2016 is €2,205,000, of which €1,350,000, in respect of funding for Traveller community groups and national-level NGOs, transferred to my Department from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government on 1 January 2016. This was in addition to a sum of €550,000 which transferred to my Department from the Department of Social Protection (for the Special Initiative for Travellers) on 1 January 2015.
The officials in the Equality Division of my Department will be responsible for the review referred to, which will be completed in time for consideration in the context of the 2017 Estimates process. Details of any adjustments to the current allocation for Traveller and Roma initiatives will be announced in due course in the normal way as part of the 2017 Estimates. As the Deputy will be aware, I am not in a position to pre-empt the 2017 Budget at this stage, but I can say that the new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy is intended to make a substantial difference to how issues of concern to the Traveller community are addressed, including ensuring a sustained effort to tackle key issues in partnership with Travellers and the organisations that represent them.
