Scottish Gov to develop new framework to tackle racial discrimination

Racial discrimination throughout the public and private sectors and widespread public concern about the impact of immigration on Scotland’s “identity” has prompted a new Scottish Government strategy to eradicate racism.

The Race Equality Framework 2016-2030 has been developed amid “frustration at the extent and pace of change” in racial equality.

Ethnic minorities tend to get better qualifications at school, submit a similar number of job applications as white Scottish people, but are less likely get jobs, the report found.

Nearly half (45%) of people fear Scotland “would begin to lose its identity if more black and Asian people moved here” while nearly one in ten (9%) would be unhappy if a relative married a black or Asian person, according to the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey.

About ten race hate crimes are recorded every day but authorities believe incidents are under-reported.

More work is required to build trust between minorities and the police, with minorities still under-represented in the police workforce, it found.

Stop and search is a particular cause for concern but the report said Police Scotland’s data collection on its impact on minorities “have not been as effective as they could be”.

The NHS employs a higher proportion of minorities but recruitment is uneven across occupations and grades while minority representation in social-care jobs is “very low”.

The report found minority ethnic groups are twice as likely to experience poverty as the majority ethnic population, demonstrating “a clear link between race and poverty”.

Over nine-tenths (91%) of Chinese pupils and about three-quarters of other Asian and black ethnicities leave school with a higher-level qualification, compared with less than three-fifths (58%) of white Scottish pupils.

However, despite this apparent educational advantage, nearly a third (31%) of Asians and over two-fifths (41%) of other BME residents are in relative poverty, compared with about one in six (17%) white British people in Scotland.

The government has urged employers, particularly in the public sector, to proactively tackle inequalities.

“There is evidence to suggest that application rates from minority ethnic groups for public-sector jobs are already fairly representative,” it stated.

“Instead, the under-representation is linked to minority ethnic candidates not being appointed at interview stage.”

It added: “Even in the public sector, minority ethnic people are disproportionately rejected at job interviews in comparison to white Scottish applicants.

“Indeed, many Scottish public bodies have very low proportions of minority ethnic staff in comparison to national and local demographic profiles.”

The Scottish Government said it may use its new social security powers in the Scotland Bill to tackle racial inequality.

Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil (pictured) said: “The Scottish Government has an important leadership role to highlight civic rights and protect its people. However the actions needed to eradicate racism are not just for the Scottish Government alone.

“Every individual and organisation in Scotland needs to play their role in creating a fair and equal Scotland that promotes and protects all people who live here regardless of race, religion, gender or any other differentiating characteristic.”

He added: “We know that whilst progress has been made, there is frustration at the extent and pace of change.

“The publication of this framework is the first step in shifting gear and making a difference.”

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2016, All Rights Reserved.