The Government has approved a public awareness campaign to combat racism amid fears that an increasing number of refugees, asylum-seekers and economic migrants in the State are coming under attack.
The campaign will involve advertising and tolerance programmes in schools. It will have a budget of more than £1 million - a relatively modest sum in advertising terms but the largest the State has spent on a campaign on equality issues.
The initiative, from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue, has recently been approved by Cabinet. Last week the Department of Justice asked the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism to carry out an evaluation programme to prepare the way for the campaign.
The committee is to be given a budget of £30,000 to carry out its evaluation, which it will present to Mr O'Donoghue in two months' time.
The Minister expressed his concern at the increase in the number of attacks on refugees and asylum-seekers at a meeting of the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party last Friday. He said action to counter racism had to be undertaken before it became rooted in society.
He made reference to extreme racist attitudes in parts of Austria and France and stressed that action must be taken urgently to prevent a similar situation developing here.
In recent weeks the Minister has stressed to his Cabinet colleagues that Ireland has become a multicultural society with annual net immigration.
He said we must accept this situation and put in place a public awareness campaign to counter racism. He has received the full backing of Ministers for the initiative.
As part of its evaluation, the committee will examine what role the media, political parties and the statutory authorities can play in promoting racism awareness.
The committee, set up by Mr O'Donoghue in July 1998, is a partnership of non-governmental organisations, State agencies, social partners and Government Departments.
It provides an ongoing structure to develop programmes and actions aimed at developing an integrated approach against racism. It also advises the Government on matters relating to racism.
The committee was given an allocation of £150,000 for its work for this year. A source said the campaign was expected to cost a "six- or seven-figure sum" and that the money would be forthcoming from Government.
"This campaign will be one of the biggest of its type ever undertaken in the State," the source added.
Meanwhile, a major report on the integration of refugees is to come before the Cabinet in the next two weeks. The report, prepared by the Interdepartmental Working Group on Refugees set up by Mr O'Donoghue in December 1998, recommends that a research project be undertaken to establish the specific needs of different refugees in the country.
The report suggests tenders be invited from independent professionals to carry out the research, which will be funded from the Department of Justice research budget. The report says the research should take no more than eight months to complete.
The report also suggests that a public awareness campaign, along the lines initiated by Mr O'Donoghue, be put in place, and stresses the importance of a co-ordinated approach to the integration of refugees.
The report also urges maximising EU funding for refugee integration projects.
Primary schools which have 15 or more pupils with significant English language difficulties will be given an additional temporary teacher under a scheme introduced by the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Martin.
The temporary teacher will be able to work in the school for up to two years and will have specific responsibility for the English language needs of the pupils.
Schools with between four and 14 non-English-speaking pupils will be given sufficient grant aid to hire a "suitably qualified person" to teach English to the pupils.
Mr Martin said schools with three or fewer such pupils would be expected to provide for their needs within their existing resources.