There is no expert group on integration at a time when more investment is needed, suggests Philip Watt.
RECENT DECISIONS in the Budget will significantly weaken capacity in Ireland to address racism and to promote integration of migrant and minority communities. This is particularly worrying at a time of recession when more, not less investment in this area is needed. Due to recent Government decisions, the budget for the Office of the Minister for Integration was cut by 26 per cent of an overall budget that amounted to about €8 million. The Government's own advisory body on racism has had a 100 per cent cutback in funding. This cutback is disproportionate to the other cutbacks in integration and wider Government spending.
The anti-racism and integration drive needs continuing effective Government investment and support. The likely demise of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) resulting from the Budget also coincides with the end of the National Action Plan against Racism, which will be completed in 2008.
There is now a significant vacuum in Government policy arising from the fact that there is no longer an expert body to advise on anti-racism and integration and no longer a dedicated plan and funding line focused on dealing with these issues. The Government says the NCCRI's "functions" will be transferred to the Office for Integration. However, without staff or expertise being transferred, this commitment appears hollow.
In case anyone thinks racism is not a problem in Ireland, last year alone there were 180 incidents of racism reported to the Garda, up from a figure of 66 incidents in 2004. The main types of incidents reported included damage to property, assaults, harassment and incitement to hatred. Behind these statistics, the human impact of racism can be devastating. One incident can have a disproportionate impact as it can be perceived as not just being directed at individuals, but also at the communities that they belong to.
The NCCRI has consistently sought to highlight racism as an issue that needs an effective response, but also to build the voice of migrants and minorities themselves. Since the announcement that the NCCRI's funding would be cut, we have been inundated with e-mails and calls from minority and migrant communities concerned about the specific and wider implications arising from this decision.
We are being asked whether racism is not seen as a problem in Ireland any more. Is this the first sign of a significant shift in Government policy? How can the Office for Integration take on the functions of the NCCRI without its expertise and staff?
There have been massive changes in Irish society in recent years, largely as a consequence of inward migration. One in 10 people who reside here were born outside of Ireland. While inward migration may have stalled because of the recession, Ireland will remain a multicultural society. While most people view diversity as positive, a significant minority have also found the changes in their local neighbourhood to be challenging.
It is important that those who hold such views are not demonised and that there are active policies in place to educate and inform people, and to dissuade them from holding racist views. The NCCRI has been at the forefront of such work, including this year when the Government appointed it to co-ordinate the EU Year of Intercultural Dialogue in Ireland. As a result of the participation of Government bodies and grassroots organisations, the Irish programme was recognised by the EU as one of the most effective in Europe.
The NCCRI has worked with grassroots groups over the past decade to ensure that integration and anti-racism are not just set out in worthy policy documents, but have a reality at national and local level. In this context, we worked closely with sporting bodies including the GAA and the Football Association of Ireland to maximise the role that sport can play in integrating minorities. We have also worked closely with community and voluntary groups. Most recently, this involved the problem of homelessness among migrants and minorities, and bringing the problem to the attention of the Government.
Among other criticisms, a recent NCCRI report on housing was singled out by a columnist in The Irish Times. This report, Building Integrated Communities, was launched by the Minster for Housing in September 2008, and well received at a conference involving all key housing practitioners in Ireland.
The report seeks to tackle problems such as segregated neighbourhoods and housing estates. Those working in the housing sector recognise the import of developing policy in this area, and investment in research is a vital prerequisite to avoiding the mistakes other countries have made.
We received criticism from the same columnist about our advice on the wearing of the hijab in Irish schools.
Our advice was that schools have, by and large, adopted a sensible and sensitive approach. Rather than dictating what boards of management should do, schools should be recognised as having the good sense to sort it out themselves, within broad guidance from Government. This approach was subsequently adopted by Government and welcomed by all the stakeholders in the education sector, including schools and the Muslim community. It leaves us somewhat bemused that such a successful outcome is then ridiculed.
In another areas of important work, the NCCRI has provided awareness training to many Government departments and agencies. Recently, all gardaí of inspector rank completed a course on the challenges of policing in an intercultural society. This is typical of much of our work which is "below the radar", but which is vital in helping key agencies to upskill in a changing society.
Over the past decade, the NCCRI has remained a compact organisation, but one that has sought to make a significant contribution, on limited resources. It has a staff of 12 and its core funding is €500,000 per annum. We receive research contracts at times from the EU, the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland and the Office for Integration.
Apart from the loss of expertise, it is likely that if such research and training was to be undertaken in future, it would cost the Government significantly more than it does at present. The potential loss of €4 million in an EU funding programme that was at an advanced stage is also jeopardised by this decision. In short, the decision does not make sense on policy or fiscal grounds.
The cut in the budget will mean the closure of the NCCRI offices and all staff being let go, the loss of expertise the NCCRI has built up over the past decade and the ability of the Government to identify and respond to incidents of racism before they escalate or become larger problems. This is the choice the Government has made.
We have been heartened by the hundreds of e-mails of support, including those from migrant, Traveller and minority groups, and indeed from the many excellent civil servants we have worked with over the past 10 years. All the NCCRI staff are committed to working to our full ability until December 30th, when we are likely to close, unless the Government changes its policy direction. Our legacy will be for others to judge, but we hope it would be done in a way that is considered.
We will continue to advocate for our funding to be retained, while accepting some form of cutback is inevitable, and we will continue to highlight the looming policy vacuum. The failure at this crucial stage to adequately invest and to reflect on what is needed to build a cohesive society in Ireland where diversity is valued is short-sighted, irrespective of the funding of individual organisations such as the NCCRI.
Philip Watt is director of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism