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Engagement Engagement: Health All of those interviewed within the Health Sector referred to the need for engagement with minority ethnic groups. Engagement: Policing Within policing there are Independent Advisory Groups set up to help advise on policies and procedures for the black and minority ethnic communities. At a local level, many MLOs regularly meet with groups to consult and offer advice. In Ballymena the Inter-Agency Ethnic Support Group meet on a regular basis bringing together representatives from public authorities including the PSNI. Engagement: Housing The Housing Executive has engaged with the Traveller Community to assess their needs for housing. In addition the NIHE is also engaging with migrant workers and assessing the impact on housing needs in various areas of Northern Ireland including Dungannon. Questionnaire for staff in public authorities In total 59 questionnaires were returned from the various sectors. The questionnaire responses and focus groups indicated that there is a lack of awareness of Section 75. The results also indicate that the ease of providing services did differ between groups with many stating that it was more difficult to provide for migrant workers than longstanding minority ethnic groups. For many this was borne out in the language and communication barriers often faced. The importance of engaging with minority ethnic groups was highlighted in the survey with 67% stating this consultation was very useful. However, it was highlighted that at times it was difficult to get minority ethnic representatives who were willing to engage. Views from ethnic minorities A series of focus groups were conducted with ethnic minorities to ascertain their views on the delivery of services from public authorities in Northern Ireland. In addition key NGOs were consulted. Health Some NGOs interviewed stated that they were aware of people from ethnic minority backgrounds being refused treatment in hospitals and/or GP registration. Some of the migrant workers spoken with praised the service and had very positive experiences but recognised that this may not be that case for everyone. Education In addition to issues raised elsewhere in the research, language barriers and inadequate communication with parents was an issue highlighted by a number of interviewees. Many raised the issue of increased need for cultural diversity training in schools for staff and pupils. Policing Many minority ethnic groups stated that they were aware of racist attacks on members of their community which were not investigated adequately. What became clear in the discussions was that policing differed from area to area and some PSNI officers were more supportive than others.
improving government service delivery to minority ethnic groups Executive Summary 14_15 Employment For many the problematic issues around employment are unequal rights such as contracts not being issued, unequal pay with low wages, longer hours, no right to sick leave and/or pay and unfair dismissal. In addition the issue of accommodation being tied to employment was also raised as problematic. Housing In regard to housing, issues of multiple occupancy were raised. Other respondents were also aware of rent being increased in areas with a high migrant worker population. In conclusion this chapter finds that the service areas focused on in Northern Ireland show examples of interesting initiatives and approaches but these examples have to become more mainstreamed to begin to have a real impact on outcomes. Language barriers have emerged as a key issue for many interviewees and some service providers are tackling this through initiatives such as the Regional Interpreting Service and the employment of Bilingual Advocacy Workers in the area of health. The first step in improving data collection would be to reassess the ethnicity categories to be more reflective of the current population therefore expanding the ‘White’ category and including questions on country of birth. Within all the sectors it is of concern that data collection was not considered essential for service delivery. It is encouraging to note that there were examples of engagement between public authorities and minority ethnic groups. The groups being formed, such as the Ballymena Inter Agency Forum, are examples of how public authorities are trying to engage with communities and ensure that their service is being customer led. Interviews and focus groups with people from minority ethnic backgrounds and NGOs revealed that many people feel services have improved for minority ethnic groups and that needs are now starting to be met. However it must be highlighted that standards of service varied with some public authorities failing to deliver in some aspects. Chapter 3 presents the Scotland Research Findings from Wendy Davies and Ashok Ohri, Organisation and Social Development Consultants Limited. The methodology for the Scottish chapter of this research involved a combination of desk-top research and individual interviews. The Race Relations Act 1976 (RRA) makes it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of colour, race, nationality (including citizenship), or ethnic or national origin in employment, education, housing and the provision of goods, facilities and services. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 (RRAA) places enforceable duties on public bodies to eliminate unlawful discrimination, promote equality of opportunity, and promote good relations between persons of different racial groups. The Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (‘the Race Regulations’) incorporated the EU Race Directive into UK law by making changes to the Race Relations Act 1976. A Review of Race Equality in Scotland, published in November 2005, introduced a number of measures aimed at reducing discrimination and challenging racism. The Review also announced that there would be a Race Equality Strategy and Action Plan announced in the autumn of 2006. There is a long history of immigration in Scotland and a Gypsy/Traveller community. The 2001 Census found the minority ethnic population in Scotland to be 2% of the total population. Scotland’s population is predicted to fall by 10% by 2042. Further, Scotland’s population is ageing rapidly. To address this issue, the Executive have launched a Fresh Talent initiative to entice people to live and work in Scotland.
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Figure 4: Percentage of Respondents
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Figure 5: Ease of Providing Service
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The impact of Section 75 on organis
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Table 9: Data Collected Yes No Don
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Lack of knowledge in the health sec
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Housing In regard to housing issues
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Chapter 3: Scotland Research Findin
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Demographics Until data from the fo
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Figure 8: PPSNs Poland 103,177 55%
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Prospects for ongoing strong immigr
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Both the Equal Employment Act 1998
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Methodology The NPAR will undoubted
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In hospitals the provision of inter
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Awareness of legislation and policy
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e expected to pay the non-EU fee, w
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Interviews carried out with employe
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Official agencies and policies in t
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Targeting The need to target ethnic
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Employment By and large Irish immig
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(continued from previous page) The
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An anti-racism intercultural progra
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Conclusions The Irish statutory sec
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Chapter 5: Conference Discussions 1
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and inequality and black and ethnic
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Understanding and tackling racism w
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As discussed above, there is a lack
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It is important that training on se
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- - - - - - - Existing UK migration
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“ …the four As that the previou
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Appendix 1: Research Project Struct
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Appendix 2: List of Organisations I
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Appendix 3: Recommended Data Collec
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Glossary 166_167 Glossary 267_Scott
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Acronyms 170_171 Acronyms280 280_In
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This research has been carried out
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