Budget 2018 – Back to the Future for Travellers and Roma

In Budget 2018 we are looking for reinvestment in Traveller inclusion to pre-recession levels –  particularly in accommodation and health.

And we need increased funding for the implementation of the recently published National Traveller Roma and Inclusion Strategy.

According to investment newsletters, funding for Traveller inclusion was decimated during austerity with 86% cuts in education supports and 90% cuts in Traveller accommodation.  “We need investment to be back at pre-recession levels so we can go forward,” said Pavee Point Co Director Martin Collins.

Traveller and Roma women and children need to be prioritised.  “To make Child Benefit payments a truly universal payment that is not contingent on the fulfilment of the habitual residence condition would improve life for Roma who are among the most marginalised and excluded in our society,” said Siobhan Curran, Pavee Point Roma Programme.

The Government is now obliged to assess the impact of budgetary decisions on Travellers, Roma and other minority ethnic groups in a systematic and transparent way to ensure their human rights are prioritised and safeguarded.

An important step in this is to invest in systems to collect and analyse disaggregated data by ethnicity, gender and other equality grounds across all administrative systems and to do so in compliance with human rights standards and principles.

Click here for our full Pre-Budget Submission.