A SEAT should be reserved in the Seanad for Travellers and politicians must do more to encourage Traveller representation in the Dáil, an Oireachtas committee was told yesterday.
Martin Collins of the Pavee Point Travellers' Centre said there had been positive action measures in other countries to encourage Roma representation in public life, but nothing had been done here.
Mr Collins said Pavee Point condemned criminal and anti-social behaviour and had addressed it. However, he had not heard any condemnation from politicians about remarks made by Fianna Fáil councillor Paddy Kiely in September.
The Bagenalstown councillor caused controversy when he said people should "buy a gun" to stop Travellers illegally camping.
Fianna Fáil deputies Seán Connick and Thomas Byrne said they had not heard the comments and would raise the issue within the party.
Mr Collins said that it was "totally unsatisfactory" that there were just two Traveller councillors in this State.
Martin Ward in Tuam and Tom Stokes in Longford are the State's only councillors from the Traveller community.
Mr Collins said Travellers were still one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in society, with a 78 per cent unemployment rate, low life expectancy and poor participation in education.
He said the official recognition of Travellers as an ethnic minority would have symbolic and practical implications and would put an increased onus on the State to provide facilities and services for them.
Mr Collins highlighted public animosity towards Travellers and cited one survey which found that 80 per cent of people would not accept a Traveller as a friend.
Asked by committee chairman Brendan Kenneally if Travellers brought some of the antagonism upon themselves, Mr Collins said: "I would accept that there are elements within the community as within every community who behave in a way that is totally unacceptable."
Pavee Point director Ronnie Fay highlighted the exclusion of Travellers from the portfolio of the Minister for Integration Conor Lenihan and said the axing of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) meant that there was no mechanism to address common issues affecting Travellers and immigrants.
She also expressed concern at the media's handling of Traveller issues and the reluctance to highlight positive stories about Travellers.
Later yesterday, Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue launched a new information pack for politicians on Travellers.
He said it was a valuable resource for politicians and he believed it would improve dialogue between the Traveller community and their elected representatives.
Both events were held to mark Traveller Focus Week which began on Monday. Details of the week's events are on www.tfw.ie
