Eileen Flynn urges reinstatement of Traveller Oireachtas committee
Senator Eileen Flynn marked Traveller Pride Week and called for the immediate reinstatement of the Traveller Oireachtas committee, urging allies in the House to get involved. She also criticised the decision not to extend maternity leave and asked the government to reconsider and hold a debate.
Traveller Pride Week observance
Senator Eileen Flynn opened by thanking the Cathaoirleach and noting that it is Traveller Pride Week, a two-week event running until the 24th of the month. She emphasised celebration of diversity within the Traveller community and encouraged allies from the general population to participate in events.
Traveller Oireachtas committee priorities
She recalled that before the government split there had been a Traveller Oireachtas committee with four key areas of work - health, education, mental health and accommodation. She said there remains a lot of work to be done across those priority areas.
Call for swift reinstatement and allies' involvement
Senator Eileen Flynn noted that Cam Collier supports setting the committee back up and said she would welcome the committee being re-established without delay. She urged allies in the House to engage with the committee once it is reconstituted.
Maternity leave decision and request for debate
Turning to a recent development, she described last night's outcome on the maternity extension as very disappointing. Senator Eileen Flynn asked the government to reconsider its decision not to extend maternity leave for parents and suggested a debate on the issue in the House.
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Thank you, Cahirleach, for your input to the House this morning. As you've pointed out, it's Traveller Pride Week. To mark the week, we're celebrating diversity within and asking allies from the general population to also get involved in the two-week event that lasts until the 24th of this month. As many people in the House will be aware, before the government split and before it went, we had got a great Oireachtas committee and it was the Traveller Oireachtas committee and it had four specific key areas of work, which was health, education, mental health and accommodation. There's a lot of work that still needs to be done in that committee and I know that Cam Collier is in great support of the committee being set back up. So I'd welcome that the committee is set back up without delay and would ask allies here in the House to get involved in that committee when it is set back up. Moving on from Traveller Pride and from the committee is last night, the outcome of the maternity extension for maternity leave was very disappointing and I would ask the government to consider their decision not to extend the maternity leave for parents and maybe to have a debate on it here in the House. Thank you. Thank you.
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