Disability discrimination claims soar

FAILURE by hoteliers, publicans, night-club owners and other service providers to accommodate the needs of disabled people led to a trebling of disability discrimination claims last year.

The Equality Tribunal’s annual report, published yesterday, shows a 178% increase in the number of claims referred on behalf of people with disabilities under the Equal Status Act 2000. Disability discrimination claims under employment legislation were up 69%.

National Disability Authority chairwoman Angela Kerins said the soaring number of claims was due to people’s growing awareness of their rights under the legislation.

People are becoming more aware of issues of discrimination and of how to vindicate their rights.

“However, what is really needed is to enshrine the rights of the disabled in legislation, so that the services for people with disabilities are underpinned by law.”

Ms Kerins heads up the Disability Legislation Consultation Group, set up by the Government to examine issues disability groups want addressed in upcoming disability legislation.

Racial discrimination claims were also up last year. The number of cases referred to the tribunal alleging workplace discrimination on race grounds was up 59%, from 26 claims in 2001 to 44 in 2002. Claims of racial discrimination under the Equal Status Act, which covers recreation, entertainment, banking and transport services, were up 24%.

Members of the Travelling community continued to have the highest number of claims against service providers, up 16% in 2002.

However, tribunal director Melanie Pine, said the trend is changing this year, with the number of equal status claims already down 14% in the first six months of the year.

Equal status claims referred to the tribunal are set to decrease further this year in light of a Government proposal to transfer jurisdiction for claims relating to licensed premises to the District Court.

The report was launched yesterday by Justice Minister Michael McDowell. Ms Pine said she welcomed his assurance that the transfer was in no way a reflection on the work of the tribunal. She said she also welcomed his assurances that he had no intention of transferring any other element of the tribunal’s jurisdiction.

Ms Pine rejected allegations by public service providers that the tribunal might be encouraging the “compensation culture”.

“The figures speak for themselves. Only 68 people in the whole of 2002 were awarded compensation under equal status legislation, with amounts as low as 50 and an average of just over 1,000,” she said.

The picture for this year is changing significantly, Ms Pine said. Discrimination claims under employment law are on the increase; the tribunal has already received the same number of employment claims this year as it did for the whole of last year.

A record 638 individual claims were dealt with by the tribunal last year, up from 223 the previous year.