Publications

By & from the Traveller Law Research Unit

A list of Gypsy/Roma/Traveller-related articles by TLRU staff is available here in PDF format. (Click here to get the Adobe Acrobat PDF reader if you don't already have it). Many of these articles cannot be made available online for copyright reasons, but should be available through University libraries (or on interlibrary loan).

The most recent TLRU book is At What Cost, published by The Policy Press on 4 September 2002:

• PRESS RELEASE
• LEAFLET AND ORDER FORM

Housing Gypsies by Philip Thomas and Sue Campbell is now available here in PDF.

With the kind permission of Butterworths Tolley, you can obtain here an article by Rachel Morris on Gypsies, Travellers and the Media, first published in Tolley's Communications Law (2000) Vol. 5 No. 6, pp. 213-9.

With the kind permission of Alan Beckley, Managing Editor of Police Research and Management journal, (published by the New Police Bookshop, part of Benson Publications), you can obtain here an article by Rachel Morris first published in Volume 5-1/2001 on Gypsies and Travellers and policing: New Policies, New Approaches.

In the book Moving On, published in 1999 by the University of Hertfordshire Press (UHP), Chapter 2 on 'Wales' is written by TLRU Co-ordinator Rachel Morris. A error in typography means that a quote in this chapter from another publication looks as if it were written by Ms Morris. To avoid accusations of plagiarism and to be clear that Ms Morris disputes rather than owns the ideas expressed in the quote, the original version of this chapter is available here (by permission of UHP).

The Discrimination Law Association (DLA), founded in 1995 and with nearly 450 members, aims to promote and improve the giving of advice, support and representation to individuals complaining of discrimination, harassment or abuse on grounds such as race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age, health status, political opinion, marital or family status and trade union affiliation or activity; raise awareness and encourage debate on discrimination law and practice; promote the teaching of discrimination law; secure improvements in the scope and enforcement of UK anti-discrimination legislation; and share information and ideas internationally. The DLA has been kind enough to share a new Briefing Paper on Gypsies, Travellers and Discrimination through this site. Membership of the DLA is open to any individual or organisation interested in discrimination law who is in general agreement with the Association's aims. Individual members include eminent lawyers and advice workers and trainers with many years of experience. Membership will be of particular benefit to those who are advising clients in discrimination cases, interested in legal developments in discrimination law, looking for training in discrimination law, or seeking to network with others interested in discrimination law. For further information, or to advertise in DLA Briefings, email, or write to administrator Mary Copsey, Discrimination Law Association, PO Box 36054, London, SW16 1WF, tel. 020 8769 2020 fax 020 8769 3030. For further information about the piece linked here contact author Gaby Charing.

TLRU factsheets and articles which can be provided free and without copyright restrictions are available here in PDF format and will be added to periodically:

• Briefing papers on the Race Relations Act 1976, and on a case concerning Gypsy complainants, Cheltenham Borough Council and police officers.
• On 18th January 2001 the European Court of Human Rights gave judgement in 5 cases against the UK in which the applicants were Gypsies. This Note of Judgement is based upon the lead case, Chapman v UK.
• The Human Rights Act 1998 came into force in the UK on 2nd October 2000, and incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights into British law. This factsheet details the Act and its potential impact on Travelling People's lives.
• 1996 Discussion Paper on challenging planning policies by Ravi Low-Beer.
• 1997/99 Discussion Paper on voting rights of Travelling and homeless people.
• 1998 Discussion Paper on accommodation, New Legislation relating to Travellers in the Republic of Ireland, by Niall Crowley (formerly Programme Manager, Pavee Point Travellers Centre, Dublin; now Chief Executive Officer of the Equality Authority for Ireland).
• Lord Avebury has raised with the Department for Work and Pensions the discriminatory impact of housing benefit regulations on Gypsy site rents. Many Gypsy site tenants, particularly on County Council sites, are receiving substantially less in housing benefit than the rent charged by the authority. This causes great hardship to many people and exacerbates their social exclusion by making it even harder for them to gain suitable accommodation. There is a strong arguable case that the subordinate legislation is discriminatory and ultra vires the enabling statutory regime, both at common law and potentially also under the Human Rights Act 1998. In principle any Gypsy or Traveller adversely affected could seek to challenge them this way of a judicial review. Hopefully the Government will amend the legislation to avoid the necessity for such a test case. Briefing paper by Lord Avebury and Jesse Carroll.
• Summary of The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (Cm 4262-I), (report of an Inquiry by Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, presented to Parliament in February 1999).
• The stopping of vehicles: police rights and responsibilities.
• In July 1999, then UK Home Secretary Jack Straw made remarks about Gypsies and Travellers on BBC West Midlands Radio which were described by some commentators as 'racist' and 'irresponsible'. A BBC Newsnight programme covered the issue in August of that year; a transcript of the segment is here.