I am delighted to be with you all here today to celebrate this significant achievement.   The Traveller Internship Programme in the Civil Service is a noteworthy outcome for the Government Departments and agencies involved, and especially for the Department of Finance who led the programme. But the real success is the personal accomplishment of the young Travellers who took part in the programme. I think also that the outcome of the programme is an excellent example of collaboration between state agencies and Traveller representatives who offered considerable support and encouragement.

As you know, the Taoiseach will join us shortly to present Certificates of Achievement to the participants in the programme. Before that, I want to highlight some of the important points emerging from the Review of the Civil Service Traveller Internship Programme which we are launching here today. I want to congratulate Dr. Pauline Conroy and Helen O’Leary who have produced the Review which, I think, will be an important reference for many people working with the Traveller Community and in public sector bodies.

As Minister with responsibility for Equality Issues, I am very conscious that pursuing Equality is not simply about reacting to discrimination and prejudice. Of course, challenging discrimination is essential, but we also need to give positive support to groups and communities in our society who face particular disadvantage. The need for positive support is particularly crucial in relation to employment. People with limited access to employment generally experience corresponding limits on the range of life choices which are open to them. It is worth remembering that the idea of supportive positive action is included in the original Employment Equality legislation of 1998, in relation to Travellers, people with disability and those over 50 years of age. The concept was extended in the Equality Act of 2004 to encompass all of the nine grounds laid down in the legislation. In practical terms, I think that promoting Equality implies that we must be ready to support an environment where everyone has a fair chance to make the most of their abilities. And this applies not only in the workplace, but also in education and in social and cultural activities.

The Traveller Community has had to deal with significant disadvantage and discrimination over many generations. Like everyone else, Travellers have had to cope with the very rapid social and economic changes that have occurred in Ireland in recent years. While these changes have brought many benefits, the pace of change creates its own difficulties. Many traditional occupations have died out, both for Travellers and Settled people. There has been increasing pressure on older family and community structures and young people in particular are subject to a range of influences which older generations did not experience. While Ireland has gone through an economic boom, I think it is fair to say that the full benefits of this have not been felt by many in the Traveller Community. It is against this background that the Government is seeking to provide positive supports to increase access to employment. This also involves encouraging people to consider a wider range of choices in education, training and employment. I am very encouraged that all of the Social Partners have given a commitment to concentrate their attention on improving the situation of Travellers in our society. The Civil Service Traveller Internship Programme is a practical demonstration of the commitment of the Government and the state sector to honouring the commitment given in the national partnership agreement ‘Towards 2016’.

The title of the Internship Review includes the interesting quote "Not Like Usual". That’s a comment by one of the participants when asked for a view on the programme.  It’s a reference to the usual experience of many young Travellers who have been in work training programmes where Traveller participants work in their own group. That way of doing things is an older approach which tended to emphasise differences between Travellers and Settled people. The more progressive and logical approach is, of course, for Travellers to participate in the mainstream along with everyone else. This is what happened in the Civil Service Internship Programme and it is the approach taken in other successful employment initiatives which have been taken by, among others, South Dublin County Council and Clare County Council.

An initiative like the Traveller Internship Programme is really about encouraging personal development. I think most people would accept that real learning comes with experience and what had been offered to the participants in the programme is a chance to gain a variety of work experience. As you will see from the Review, some of the participants performed a range of clerical duties while others engaged in general operative work with the OPW. The participants were enabled to develop a range of abilities, including computer skills, personal communications and team working skills. The experience has helped the participants in availing of other opportunities. Some have gone on to other employment in both the public and private sectors or opted to seek further education. I am glad to say that within public bodies, news of the programme is having a ripple effect, not least in relation to the work done with the OPW, and further employment opportunities have emerged for Travellers. I am also aware that the HSE is planning similar initiatives as part of their Intercultural Strategy. The success of the Civil Service Internship Programme has also been highlighted as an example of good practice at the recent EU "Diversity through Equality" conference in Copenhagen.

The programme was driven by the Department of Finance, working closely with my Department and other Departments, as well as FÁS, the Public Appointments Service and Traveller representatives. The recommendations contained in the report are aimed at designing future programmes which will build on the learning achieved this time round. With continued goodwill and cooperation between all concerned I am confident that we can provide further opportunities for Travellers to take on new challenges in employment and training. The report highlights the need for careful advance planning and communication with stakeholders. It also points to the need to have a follow on plan - whether this means people going on to other work placements, training or educational opportunities or to permanent employment. All of this underlines the need for very close cooperation between state agencies and Departments and for a practical working relationship with Traveller representatives.
This sort of joined up approach is, of course, a major objective in modern public administration. It is also the key element of Government strategy to support the Traveller Community, both at national level and locally. You will be aware that using the structure of the City and County Development Boards, a range of Traveller support measures are being pursued based on the principles of Interagency cooperation and meaningful engagement with stakeholders. My Department and the High Level Group on Traveller Issues are supporting this approach. I am pleased to say that the approach is yielding improved progress in a number of areas in the country, but I would also acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to be done. My Department is working with the assistance of specialist bodies such as Pobal and the Institute of Public Administration to help promote best practices and to illustrate some of the other successful initiatives which are already in place.

Significantly, all of the social partners have agreed to work for greater progress for Travellers and it is important that we have a means of channelling the combined energy and ideas of all involved. Accordingly, I am very pleased at the establishment of the National Traveller Monitoring and Advisory Committee as a forum for dialogue among social partners. This Committee was inaugurated by the Taoiseach earlier this year and it is operating independently under the Chairmanship of Mr. Kevin Bonner. The Committee includes the principal national Traveller Organisations and a number of prominent Traveller individuals.  Already, it is playing an important role in distilling the views and advice of stakeholders and will assist the Government to further improve our policies and the practical measures we take to implement them.  I am sure that access to jobs, and progression by Travellers from education and training to high quality employment, will be important themes in the Committee’s discussions. Retention in education is a continuing issue for Traveller families.

Of course, there are many complex factors involved and it is important to acknowledge that these have been addressed in a comprehensive manner in the earlier Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy. This Report was the product of an intensive engagement between the Education Services, Traveller Representatives and other stakeholders. I am aware that the Department of Education and Science are focussing on implementing the key recommendations and we can all hope that this work will progressively increase the access and opportunities for educational qualifications, including higher education, and employment for Travellers. Today, I want to emphasise the link between education and employment. I think we may continue to find it difficult to motivate young Travellers to remain in education unless they can be convinced that it will lead to meaningful employment and a reasonable income.

So it’s great to celebrate the good news about an initiative which provided better access and progression opportunities for Travellers in the public service. I am hopeful that the social partners in the private sector will be increasingly involved in future initiatives to support Travellers in the workplace. In this regard, it is very encouraging that FÁS has implemented a number of Special Initiatives in support of Travellers over the last two years or so. These were located in Clare, Cork, Dublin and Galway. These initiatives involved 200 people from the Traveller Community and included almost fifty employment and enterprise opportunities. I am hopeful that this work will produce a coherent training strategy which will have an ongoing impact in all areas of the country

Something which is particularly highlighted in the Review, which we are launching today, is the positive impact made by a group of young Travellers on their work colleagues and on the organisations in which they worked. In any new venture, people are bound to feel a bit apprehensive, and I reckon this would apply both to the Traveller Interns and the Departments in which they worked.  I am delighted to note in the Review the very positive feedback to the programme, both from the Traveller participants and from their colleagues and line managers. It is clear that this sort of programme is a practical way of breaking down barriers to employment for Travellers and for overcoming stereotypes about the Traveller Community.

In conclusion, I want to pay tribute to all of those who worked very hard to deliver a successful programme, including those in Government Departments and agencies and Traveller representatives. I want to take this opportunity to say a special "thank you" to the people in Traveller organisations and the Traveller individuals who have worked with the state agencies to make this programme a success. There has not always been a positive relationship between Travellers and some state agencies and I am aware of fears and suspicions which have accumulated over the years. This situation has been compounded by the discrimination and social exclusion which has been experienced by many Travellers in our society.  It takes great courage to step out beyond the old boundaries and I especially appreciate the actions of those Travellers who are prepared to work cooperatively with the state agencies in the interest of their own community.

Of course, the people who deserve the greatest acknowledgment here today are the Traveller Interns themselves. These are a motivated group of young people and I know that they also had great support and back-up from their parents and families. I am confident that everyone who participated in the programme has gained valuable work experience. They have also provided positive role models for other young Travellers and demonstrated that, where new opportunities are available, Travellers are well capable of making the most of them.

Based on the experience of this and similar initiatives, it is clear that there is scope for a more widespread adoption of positive action for the employment of Travellers. The Government along with the social partners have already given a commitment to pursuing greater progress for Travellers. This initiative, and the others which I have mentioned earlier, are evidence that the State sector is following through on that commitment. I look forward to further such initiatives and I believe this Report will be a key reference for all who are involved in that work.

24 October 2007