Traveller unemployment and mental health
Deputy Donnelly linked high unemployment in the Traveller community to its mental health crisis and gave examples of discrimination. Minister Butler said an action plan will be published soon and must address education, apprenticeships, social protection and wider supports as well as mental health.
On Tuesday many of us stood outside Leinster House to witness demonstrations on the mental health crisis in the Traveller community. I wish to raise the issue of unemployment. I was shocked to hear that 86% of people within the Traveller community are unemployed. For example, 17 people took a Safe Pass course of whom 16 got jobs. The one person who did not was a member of the Traveller community. Until he changed his address, he was unemployed. That needs to be addressed in terms of a mental health crisis.
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Donnelly for raising this issue. He is quite right. There was a protest outside Leinster House on Tuesday. There is an action plan, which will be published very shortly. The action plan will not relate only to mental health. It has to relate to educational prospects, to prospects for apprenticeships and to education and social protection. All of those key factors exacerbate the challenges Travellers have in regard to their mental health. I hope this will be published before the summer recess. That is what I am trying to do, for my part.
It is a cross-departmental report but it is important that it is published soon.
In December, when I had the allocation of €10 million in relation to mental health, €365,000 was allocated to Travellers' mental health. Last year, through the National Office for Suicide Prevention, NOSP, €270,000 was also allocated to support Travellers' mental health.