A new legal unit to serve the Traveller community will be launched by the former president of the Irish Human Rights Commission, Mr Justice Barrington, on Friday. Carol Coulter, Legal Affairs Correspondent, reports.
The unit, which will operate on a pilot basis for three years, will seek to ensure that Travellers have access to legal services and achieve equality before the law. It will not offer legal representation to individual Travellers, except in exceptional cases, where a test case is involved.
Three people will work in the unit, Mr David Joyce, legal development worker, Ms Phil Mullen, administrator, and Ms Sinead Lucey, solicitor. It was established by the Irish Traveller Movement, and will receive funding from Atlantic Philanthropies.
"There has been a move in the ITM in recent years towards legal issues affecting Travellers, especially around accommodation," said Mr Joyce, who has just completed the King's Inns diploma in law, and is now preparing for the entrance examination to its BL degree course.
"There is a perception that people working on Traveller issues are wet liberals," he said. "But human rights issues are involved. The legal system is where that debate gets furthered."
While the ITM has developed strong links with one firm of solicitors willing to take on Travellers' cases, frequently it has proved difficult to find legal professionals with either the knowledge or the willingness to do so. Following a conference on this issue, it was decided to set up the legal unit, he said.
"We won't be able to provide assistance to people pursuing cases under the Equal Status Act, for example," said Mr Joyce. "We will be focusing on issues like accommodation, health and education."
The unit will offer advice and training to legal professionals on Traveller issues and to Traveller organisations on legal issues, undertake strategic casework to advance Traveller rights, and will liaise with various relevant bodies in the area of legal and human rights. It will also establish a network of legal professionals prepared to take up Travellers' cases, and will welcome queries from those interested.
The unit will set up a strategic forum to target policy-makers and service providers. It is intended this will include representatives from the Equality Authority, Irish Human Rights Commission, Garda human rights section, European Roma Rights Centre, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Courts Service, Free Legal Aid Board, Law Society, Bar Council and other relevant agencies.
However, the kind of difficulties the unit may experience is illustrated by the fact that its solicitor, Ms Lucey, formerly with the Chief State Solicitor's Office, has so far failed to obtain professional insurance, without which she cannot hold a practising certificate, because she works for a voluntary organisation.