The experiences of minority ethnic and migrant people in Northern Ireland

We are mindful that many of the issues explored in this inquiry relate to matters devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. However, with the policy-setting opportunities for all parties presented by an upcoming election, and with new Census figures due, our intention in this report is to highlight and offer reflections on some of the key issues raised in evidence to us. We believe these issues have been either hitherto largely overlooked or under-addressed, and the incoming Executive and Assembly should seek to address them without further delay.

The electorate can ask questions of candidates on issues affecting minority ethnic communities during the election campaign. The upcoming election provides more generally an opportunity for people from, or working with, minority ethnic communities to engage pro-actively to ensure their voices are heard by those seeking to represent them.

Throughout our inquiry, we heard the perception that politics is often done “to” rather than “with” communities, and how the absence of representation of minority ethnic identities in political and public life has likely contributed to the lack of focus given to, and progress made on, racial equality in Northern Ireland. We urge organisations and political parties to take steps to encourage the representation of minority ethnic voices within their own institutions—so that politics and civil society become more diverse and better reflect Northern Ireland society today.

We note that the issue of ethnic monitoring was identified as a key policy for implementation by the Northern Ireland Executive itself over 15 years ago. Self- evidently, therefore, it is disappointing that the level of monitoring undertaken continues to be very low in Northern Ireland and the available data limited. We urge The Executive Office to implement wider monitoring as a matter of priority once a new Executive is formed.

There is no evidence of the perpetrators of hate crime being drawn disproportionately from one community over another; rather, hate crime is a problem that manifests across both traditional communities and is the responsibility of all to tackle. It is, however, very clear that legislation needs strengthening to ensure better protection is provided for victims of hate crime. We therefore welcome the launch by the Department of Justice in January 2022 of a public consultation ahead of a new Hate Crime Bill which is due to be introduced in the next Assembly mandate. But we would urge a speedier timetable for this given how far behind Northern Ireland 20 The experiences of minority ethnic and migrant people in Northern Ireland is compared with the rest of the UK, and, in the worst-case scenario where the Executive does not function for a prolonged period, that Westminster delivers on this legislation.

The Irish Traveller community continue to encounter many persistent inequalities in areas such as education, healthcare and housing, issues that are also experienced by other, more recently arrived, communities. We therefore look forward to the response of The Executive Office on these ongoing poor outcomes and experiences for Travellers in Northern Ireland and seek clarity on the output and outcomes of the strategic planning group on Travellers and Roma, and the independent thematic group on Travellers.

We heard many concerns about the lack of progress made on the aims and actions of the Executive’s original and current Racial Equality Strategies. The Executive Office should seek to address these by implementing without delay the outstanding actions of the current strategy, for example on ethnic monitoring, the refugee integration strategy and tackling hate crime. Furthermore, TEO should consider the merits of formal secondment and closer information sharing with organisations in Great Britain with experience of tackling issues of racial equality. We are pleased to learn that the Executive Office will consult on proposals to update NI equality legislation this year but urge them to expedite this process, to address the significant and ongoing disruption posed to the Jewish community in Northern Ireland and to afford the people of Northern Ireland the same rights and protections as their fellow citizens throughout the rest of the UK.

With new families soon to start arriving in Northern Ireland as part of the Afghan resettlement scheme, and the potential for refugees from Ukraine, it is important for the Executive to reflect on and learn the lessons of the previous Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. We are pleased to hear that Northern Ireland will soon join other parts of the UK in having a refugee integration strategy. We ask that the issues we have cited, including care for refugees once they have been settled, appropriate healthcare and addressing the Belfast-centred provision of services be addressed as part of the final strategy, and done so at pace.

We acknowledge that our direct responsibility is to scrutinise the work of the Northern Ireland Office of the UK Government rather than The Executive Office of the Northern Ireland Executive, but many of the findings of our report bear upon the role and responsibilities of that department. These are important issues which affect those living in Northern Ireland and the dignity and respect that should be The experiences of minority ethnic and migrant people in Northern Ireland 21 common to all. For that reason, we would be very grateful if The Executive Office could seek to respond to this report in three months’ time, setting out: • its general response to the findings and the evidence received during our inquiry, and particularly as they relate to the absence of important data on minority ethnic and migrant people and the relative weakness of the legislative framework in Northern Ireland in respect of hate crime and anti-discrimination legislation; and • an update on recent progress made by the department in this area, specifically on the implementation of the actions contained within the 2015 Racial Equality Strategy.