Traveller health inequality report
Deputy Rice highlighted severe and systemic Traveller health inequalities and the lack of response from the Health Minister and HSE. The Tánaiste said the report would be considered and undertook to ask the Minister for Health to engage.
Last Wednesday, the Traveller committee published a damning report on Traveller health inequality. The statistics show extreme levels of inequality due to systemic discrimination, racism and neglect by the State. The statistics speak for themselves. Suicide rates for Travellers are six times higher and infant mortality three and a half times higher, while life expectancy is over a decade shorter for Traveller women and 15 years shorter for Traveller men. These statistics are alarming, but all we have gotten is silence from the Minister for Health, the HSE and the Department. Has the Government considered this report? Was it discussed at Cabinet this week? What is the Government going to do about it?
The report calls for a radical and urgent change of direction from Departments, State agencies and public services. It calls for the introduction of an ethnic identifier across every public service, as called for as far back as 2010 but not implemented. It also calls for an annual parliamentary account mechanism whereby the Minister for Health comes to the Dáil every single year and reports to us on what he or she has done on these recommendations. This cannot be allowed to sit on the shelf and gather dust like all the other reports.
Comment on this
I reject the idea that any report has sat on the shelf and gathered dust. I have had many engagements with the Traveller community in a whole variety of roles, most particularly in the education space. Indeed, it was my party in government that recognised Traveller as an ethnicity, which was an important moment for members of the Traveller community.
The report is a valuable piece of work. It highlights stark inequalities and discrimination that still exists in this Republic. Certainly, I and the Government as a whole will give it consideration. I will also ask the Minister for Health to come back to the Deputy directly on what is quite a damning report in terms of the level of progress that still needs to be made in our country to improve outcomes for Travellers across a whole variety of areas.