Travellers 'not put on back seat' - Scotland

From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard

The problems faced by Traveller people have not been "put on the back seat" by the Scottish Government, the Housing Minister has insisted.

Issues such as discrimination and access to good-quality sites are constantly under discussion, Margaret Burgess told MSPs.

But she refused to put a time-scale on a planned awareness campaign aimed at tackling prejudice against Traveller people as she addressed Holyrood on the issue.

MSPs were debating the findings of the Equal Opportunities Committee's inquiry into the problems faced by the minority group.

The committee has called for a national Government-led drive to ensure zero-tolerance of discrimination, as it expressed frustration that little appears to have changed for many Travellers more than a decade on from the first Scottish Parliament inquiry into how they live.

Committee members witnessed ''horrendous'' conditions at sites they visited during the inquiry, such as freezing amenity blocks and an overflowing septic tank.

Ms Burgess said: "In taking this forward, we know that we need to see real tangible improvements in the life of a community which has for so long felt ignored.

"The Government has always been looking at the issues surrounding Gypsy-Travellers, in particular where they live. It is not something that has been put on the back seat and ignored. It is constantly being looked at and under discussion."

A group has been set up to implement the committee's recommendations, starting with an awareness campaign about discrimination against Travellers.

"We have started exploring how to deliver an awareness-raising campaign which will endeavour to change the perception and the prejudices which are still sadly associated with this community," she said.

Asked about when the campaign will be launched, Ms Burgess said: "I would hope it is done fairly quickly, but I am not going to put a time scale on it and them somebody comes back and tells me I have missed the time. But it's something we are keen to do, and keen to do as quickly as possible.

"It is about getting the campaign right to ensure that we can build good relationships and better understanding between the Gypsy-Traveller and settled communities."

Ms Burgess agreed that the conditions under which Travellers live, reported by the committee, are "absolutely shocking" and told the chamber that the group would look into the quality of local authority sites, the prospect of updating advice to councils on Traveller sites and the development of a standard site tenancy agreement outlining rights and responsibilities.