The Gypsy and Traveller Community

Part of Questions to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip – in the Senedd at 2:37 pm on 17 November 2020.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 2:37, 17 November 2020

The most recent report on the impact of COVID on the Romany and Traveller community this month, called 'Moving for Change', highlights the suffering of this community, because they are mainly low-income families that rely heavily on work in construction—both on building sites as well as on people's homes, doing roofing repairs, tarmac laying, and landscape gardening, et cetera. Of course, they're not the only self-employed community who've suffered financially—taxi drivers, musicians and theatre workers face similar destitution, frankly, as only those in employment have been eligible for the job retention scheme. Additionally, low literacy levels and poor internet connectivity on Traveller sites makes it very challenging for the Gypsy and Traveller community to understand what they might be eligible for in the way of self-employed support from the Welsh Government's economic resilience fund. What has the Welsh Government done to reach out to this most disadvantaged of communities?