Aisha Maniar, a freelance legal translator and editor, reports on the recent privatisation of court interpretation services by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). From schools and hospitals to the police force, almost all vital public services are affected by the current cuts and privatisation agenda. Often poorly thought through, many of these government programmes are
Since the start of the year, there have been at least four suspected racially motivated attacks on residents at the Balseskin reception centre for asylum seekers in the Finglas area of Dublin. The latest incidents occurred on 8-9 February. The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) has expressed concern about the institutional response to these attacks, stressing
A new report by an Irish community group based in Liverpool is a call for help against growing far-right and Loyalist attacks. In 2012, members of the far Right attacked three commemorative marches organised by the Liverpool Friends of Ireland and other Irish community groups. Among those taking to the streets in opposition were the
Dear IRR News subscriber, This week, we have two articles on Gypsy and Traveller issues, one reporting on an inquiry in Scotland into the reality of Gypsy/Traveller lives and the other examines proposals to change the law in relation to the schooling of Traveller children. And in news from across the UK, a man who
Community councillors in Scotland have accused Gypsies and Travellers of self-segregation, claiming that the younger generations have a ‘chip on their shoulder’. Since September 2011, Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have been conducting ongoing inquiries into the ‘reality of Gypsy/Traveller lives’ as part of the Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee. Starting from the position that
The Department for Education is currently consulting on proposals to bring Traveller parents in line with other parents whereby they can be prosecuted for their child’s non-attendance at school. The Department’s purported reason for making these changes is to improve school attendance, which in turn raises education outcomes. This would represent a major change to
Dear IRR News subscriber, This week, Jenny Bourne assesses a report by the Panel on the Independence of the Voluntary Sector and asks whether the voluntary sector is under threat. Frances Webber reports on legal challenges to the eviction of asylum seekers in Scotland and how there is indifference from official channels to asylum seekers’
As evictions from privatised asylum housing continue, important new legal challenges are being mounted in the courts. On Monday 28 January the latest round of the Glasgow evictions saga which began two years ago took place in the Glasgow Sheriff Court. At a hearing adjourned from October 2012, Scottish homelessness charity Ypeople (formerly the YMCA)
As if being detained for removal is not trauma enough, asylum seekers in the North East are finding it impossible to reclaim their property from their asylum hostels. Laptops, cameras, cash, a family Bible and photographs of loved ones are among the personal possessions that have been destroyed or disposed of by landlords when asylum
A report into the independence of the voluntary sector holds important lessons for groups struggling for funding and their very existence. The voluntary sector is under threat. So, who cares, you might reply, everything is up for grabs these days. It is not enough to throw up ones hands and see the demise of the
