'More help for immigrants' call

More support should be offered to immigrants, the report said

The Commission for Racial Equality has said that the Scottish Executive is not doing enough to help new immigrants to integrate into the community.

The CRE said the focus of the Fresh Talent initiative in attracting people to Scotland was too narrow.

It said that the executive risked damaging good race relations unless it also offered support to the unskilled foreign workers settling in Scotland.

The executive said it was committed to taking action to address racism.

'More respect'

Ali Jarvis, director of the CRE in Scotland, said that the Fresh Talent programme was "highly targeted" at graduates and highly qualified people.

She said: "The numbers coming in through that scheme are much smaller than the reality of the registrar general's figure that show that 21,000 migrants arrived in Scotland last year - 15,000 of those from the new accession European countries and most of them to work in hospitality, catering and agriculture.

"These are not the people targeted by Fresh Talent, so they are completely falling through any net of support.

We have a real opportunity to set in train a way of managing immigration that will ensure in 30 years time good race relations are the norm Ali Jarvis CRE

"These are people that are working in quite low-skilled jobs. They are needed in the Scottish economy but they are not receiving support to integrate and become part of Scottish society."

In its report, entitled Broadening Our Horizons, the CRE said Scotland should put as much emphasis on tackling racism as attracting foreign workers.

It recommended a bigger focus on making Scottish communities more welcoming and respectful of newcomers and also calls for greater economic diversity.

Scotland should learn lessons from earlier waves of immigration, it said.

Ms Jarvis said: "If you look at the patterns of immigration in England 40 years ago there was a massive amount of change that, perhaps, today we are starting to deal with some of the outcomes of.

"Scotland is starting from a different base.

"We have a real opportunity to set in train a way of managing immigration that will ensure in 30 years time good race relations, integrated society and a community that is cohesive and welcoming are the norm and not the exception."

Support call

The executive said the recommendations in the report covered a number of policy areas and in many cases it was already taking forward work on the same lines as suggested by the CRE.

Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm said racism was a problem, but insisted steps were being taken to tackle it.

He said: "We have to be realistic about this and that's why we do challenge racism.

"It's at the heart of our One Scotland Many Cultures campaign that we will take on those who have racist attitudes which are so negative.

"That is not only in terms of the individuals who are affected, but in terms of wider Scottish society and the Scottish economy."

The Scottish National Party said the report showed ministers were falling "woefully short" in addressing Scotland's population challenge and called for improved support to attract immigrants for the long term.