TraVision Foundation Director Bernard Sweeney Submits Opening Statement to Joint Committee on Traveller Issues (data.oireachtas.ie)

• Life expectancy for Irish Travellers in 2023 was 58.5 years, compared to 78.6 for settled population.
• HSE returned up to 48% of Traveller health funding unspent, according to a 2021 report.
• Sweeney called for a decolonial, multidisciplinary approach to address Traveller exclusion.

"In an opening statement to the Joint Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Traveller Community, TraVision Foundation Director Bernard Sweeney argued that Traveller exclusion is a legacy of colonial-era land management policies. He cited research linking forced settlement to altered gut microbiomes and chronic inflammation. The statement highlighted a life expectancy gap of 58.5 years for Travellers versus 78.6 for the settled population, and claimed up to 48% of HSE Traveller health funding went unspent. Sweeney called for a shift from single-discipline social policy to a multidisciplinary, decolonial approach."