§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures the Government have taken in Northern Ireland to assist in the integration of the Catholic and Protestant communities. [41588]
§ Mr. BrowneSection 75(2) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 states that
… a public authority shall, in carrying out its functions relating to Northern Ireland, have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.As an example of this the Government are committed to the implementation of the Patten recommendations, which are designed to make the police service more widely accepted throughout the community and more representative of the whole community.
A cross-community Policing Board has been established; recruitment to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland is now taking place on the basis of 50 per cent. Catholic and 50 per cent. non-Catholic. A new badge for the police service has been agreed, containing symbols which show parity of esteem for both sides of the community.