Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 March 2022
708. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the actions that his Department has taken to implement the relevant recommendations from the Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community report issued in November 2021. [14006/22]
View answerI welcome the publication of the Final Report of the Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community last November. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Deputy and other members of the Joint Committee for their work in highlighting issues affecting members of the Traveller community and for the publication of this comprehensive report.
I understand that Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community has now been dissolved and has been replaced with ad hoc Oireachtas group with the Ceann Comhairle as Cathaoirleach. In addition to the Ceann Comhairle, the ad hoc group is comprised of the Cathaoirligh of the Oireachtas committees whose remit mirrors the responsibilities of the Departments to whom the recommendations were submitted as well as members of the former Joint Committee.
The ad hoc Oireachtas group is seeking to make progress in 2022 on the 84 recommendations in the Final Report, including the 23 education recommendations. In this regard, I can confirm that my officials have been in correspondence with ad hoc Oireachtas group recently to update it on the progress made in the tertiary education sector.
The key recommendations for the tertiary education sector include, inter alia, recommendations for: targeted financial supports; affirmative policy actions to encourage more Travellers into the teaching profession; the creation of culturally appropriate apprenticeship and internship schemes; and the development of a “Traveller Graduate Network”. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department is proactively progressing initiatives in all of these areas. These include:
- The Student Assistance Fund is available to assist students who are unable to meet costs associated with day-to-day participation in higher education, including essential travel and childcare costs. Additional financial supports were secured under the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2021 and again in 2022 to address Covid related issues affecting Traveller progression to and retention within higher education.
- The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) includes a targeted initiative aimed at increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in Initial Teacher Education. One of the projects funded under this initiative is the TOBAR project in the Marino Institute of Education/TCD Centre. The TOBAR project focuses specifically on working with members of the Irish Traveller community to access initial teacher education (ITE) on primary, post-primary and further education programmes. A separate initiative under the PATH programme is the Travellers in Education project which is being led by a consortium of higher education institutes in the southern region. One of the key outcomes from Phase 1 is in respect of a Traveller Graduate Network which is currently engaged with 26 graduates.
- The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 was published last April. It has several key deliverables which are relevant to Travellers and other underrepresented groups including commitments to: include the voice of underrepresented cohorts; develop an inclusive apprenticeship access and delivery structure; and monitor and assess targets. My Department has established a National Apprenticeship Office (NAO) and the National Apprenticeship Alliance (NAA) to oversee this work. The NAA will have an equity of access sub-committee which will ensure that the voice of Travellers and other underrepresented groups are heard.
I look forward to engaging with the ad hoc Oireachtas group over the coming months to progress the recommendations in the Final Report.
