The hospitality and tourism industries must do more to attract Travellers into employment, Minister of State Frank Fahey said yesterday.
Mr Fahey, who has responsibility for equality, was speaking at the unveiling of an award scheme for the hospitality industry, aimed at promoting diversity. He noted over 30 per cent of the 150,000 now employed in hospitality were non-Irish.
The Minister said the success of the industry depended on an "inflow of migrants".
Adrian Cummins, chief executive of the Irish Hospitality Institute (IHI) said it is the industry's aim to increase the number employed to 200,000 by 2010.
"To achieve this, we will have to continue to look outside Ireland for employees. It is my aim that Ireland becomes the number one destination for people wanting to make a career in tourism," he said.
The IHI's Diversity Awards, which aim to "recognise and celebrate the initiatives, policies and practices by both companies and individuals to embrace diversity", will be made in late June and nominations are being invited until May 26th.
Mr Fahey described the initiative as a "very good way to highlight the positive impact of diversity in Ireland". He congratulated the industry saying, "you deserve great credit and don't often get it for being the face of Ireland and the face of this success".
He then departed from his pre-prepared script, to refer to "an area close to my heart".
"We only have 23,000 Travellers in this country and we continue to discriminate against them to a degree that is just not acceptable. We have some great Traveller families, great Traveller people, we have a lot of young people well-educated and anxious to work."
Referring to a recent initiative involving the construction industry, under which young Traveller men in the Galway area are being given apprenticeships, the Minister said he wanted to discuss a similar initiative with the IHI. He plans to meet the body in coming weeks on the issue.
He told The Irish Times afterwards his department was spending €115 million this year on Traveller-specific projects and getting "poor outcomes".
"The Taoiseach has asked me to pay particular attention to improving the standard of living for Travellers . . . I make no apology for positive discrimination in favour of Travellers, for once."
Thomas McCann, joint co-ordinator of the Irish Traveller Movement welcomed the Minister's comments. He said the hospitality industry had been unwelcoming in the past.
Mr Cummins said: "We will have to address the issue."
