Press Release - 26 February 2009

One Size Does Not Fit All

QED-UK, an award-winning charity from Bradford in West Yorkshire, founded in 1990, was commenting on an announcement by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears who said that a consultation on improving opportunities for black, Asian and minority ethnic people had shown progress was being made.

In response, and broadly welcoming the report, QED-UK says that the key to social cohesion is addressing the educational needs and unemployment issues amongst minority ethnic groups and that a "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" approach has not worked.

The third and final report on the government's race equality strategy - Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society - showed that further progress depends on recognising that different ethnic groups are experiencing disadvantage in different ways.

The government is consulting on how best to move away from a "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" approach to targeted help addressing the different needs of particular groups.

Dr Mohammed Ali OBE, Chief Executive of QED-UK, agreed and said: "Since 1990 we have been saying that one size does not fit all: there are massive educational, social and economic disparities between and within different ethnic minorities which must be taken into account. Unemployment amongst British people of Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups, for example, is double the average for ethnic minorities taken as a whole."

The government consultation will also take account of the additional challenge posed by the economic downturn. Past evidence shows that black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, as well as disadvantaged white people, are hit harder than others because of the type of job they have or because they live in deprived areas.

QED-UK has been lobbying the government to ensure that minority ethnic groups are not disproportionately affected by the recession because of the high unemployment rates within some of these groups.

QED-UK points out that there is a huge employment rate gap between minority ethnic groups and the general population. Around 0.5m jobs are needed nationally to close this gap and the current employment situation will make this worse. Employers admit that up to half of this gap could be due to unfair discrimination.

Dr Mohammed Ali said: "In the Yorkshire and Humber region over 50,000 jobs are needed to close the employment rate gap between ethnic minorities and the general population. Public and Private sectors have a duty to ensure we address these challenges to create conditions necessary for a harmonious, cohesive society where people from all groups feel truly valued and integrated."

Speaking at the Stephen Lawrence Conference in London to mark the tenth anniversary of the Macpherson report, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said: "Our research shows that the 'ONE SIZE FITS ALL' approach to achieving race equality needs to change. Different ethnic groups are experiencing disadvantage in different ways and are not all in the same position. I don’t believe there is any one "silver bullet" to solve these problems. If we are to make further progress, especially in light of new challenges such as the downturn, we need to identify what has and hasn't worked."

The government said it be making £12 million available to national and regional strategic partners working across a range of public services to tackle disadvantage or barriers to reduce gaps in outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people.

The government is keen to hear a wide range of contributions and ideas - not just from community groups, but businesses, local authorities, and public service providers too because it's vital that we hear voices from around the country.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and Cohesion Minister Sadiq Khan and will be taking the debate across the country. To kick-start the debate a discussion document Tackling Race Equalities, is also being published. It invites views on what the government's future approach to promoting race equality should be, asking as well as rights, what responsibilities are there for people from all communities in Britain to others and themselves.