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	National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy to be signed off by end of 2016</p>
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	A new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy should be signed off by the end of the year, a consultation meeting was told on Monday.</p>
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	The Dublin meeting of the strategy consultation, held at the Department of Justice and Equality, was told feedback from meetings around the country and from submissions, would be collated and a revised strategy brought to the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy steering group and the Minister of State for Equality David Stanton.</p>
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	&ldquo;The Minister of State will then bring it to Cabinet, with a view to having the strategy published and signed off by the end of the year,&rdquo; Deagl&aacute;n &Oacute; Briain, principal officer at the department told the group.</p>
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	More than 80 people were in attendance at the consultation meeting on Monday, including representatives from Pavee Point, the Irish Traveller Movement, the National Traveller Women&rsquo;s Forum, Roma cultural and advocacy project Musicantia, local authorities, the Health Service Executive and Tusla.</p>
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	They were presented with extracts from the draft strategy and were asked to comment on actions to be taken, suggested in the draft.</p>
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	Themes examined, in round table discussions, included health and public services, education, gender equality, accommodation and cultural identity.</p>
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	Under cultural identity, the draft strategy said &ldquo;the issue of recognition of Travellers as an ethnic group is being considered in the context of development of this inclusion strategy&rdquo;.</p>
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	Under education, it said the Department of Education, with the Department of Children, and Tusla, would develop &ldquo;pro-active, early intervention education welfare supports&rdquo; to promote and aid Traveller and Roma participation in education.</p>
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	Under accommodation, the draft strategy said the Department of Housing will &ldquo;ring-fence the budget for Traveller accommodation and put robust mechanisms in place to monitor expenditure and delivery&rdquo;.</p>
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	Two such meetings have already taken place in Sligo and Athlone and a fourth meeting will be held in Limerick, at the Castletroy Park Hotel, on Tuesday.</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Times on the 26th September 2016)</p>
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	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/draft-plan-considers-recognising-travellers-as-ethnic-group-1.2806113">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/draft-plan-considers-recognising-travellers-as-ethnic-group-1.2806113</a></p>
