Social Need report highlights inequality says O'Hagan

The Social Need report, which was launched today, highlights the continued discrimination and social deprivation experienced by the Catholic community, according to Sinn Fein's equality spokesperson Dara O'Hagan.

The report assesses the feasibility of measuring the impact of New Targeting Social Need (New TSN) on community differentials.

The report, prepared by Dr Tony Dignan, of Economic Research and Evaluation for the office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, concludes that the labour market continues to be the primary source of disparities between the two main communities.

Dr Dignan found that:

• Working-age Catholics were found to be less likely to be in a job compared to their Protestant counterparts and were more likely to be unemployed. Catholics therefore are at greater risk of living in lower income households and/or being dependent on benefits for their income
• Problems of low income and multiple deprivation are not confined to the Catholic community. The available data on adults living in lower-income households suggests that there is an approximate balance between the two communities in the numbers living in such households.

Commenting on the report, the Sinn Fein assembly member said: "While recognising that deprivation is in no way confined to one community the reality id that there are still structural issues that results in inequality between the communities.

"I am deeply concerned at the pervasive 'rising tide argument' that Unionist such as David Trimble hold to – namely that improved economic conditions will lift all people equally. The truth is that for those people who face unacceptable barriers is that the rising tide will not lift them onto a level playing field."

Key trends in the labour market reviewed in the report indicated that the 1990s saw substantial growth in employment and this has undoubtedly helped to improve the relative position of Catholics on all key labour market indicators without adversely affecting the absolute labour market position of Protestants.

The favourable economic conditions of the 1990s were also accompanied by a narrowing of the key labour market differentials.

Though the behaviour from one year to another is rather more erratic, the unemployment differential measured as the ratio of the Catholic unemployment rate to the Protestant rate also appears to have improved during the 1990s, maintaining a steady downward trend apparent since the 1970s.

Regarding the prospective future path of the ratio of unemployment rates, the conclusion drawn in the report is that the ratio of unemployment rates will continue on a downward trend, albeit at a slow pace.

(MB)