Mid Ulster District Council: Travellers settle race discrimination case

The parents of a baby girl who were “shooed” out of a council office after asking for help filling out a birth registration form are to receive £15,000 in a race discrimination case.

Caroline Joyce and Noel Cawley, who are members of the traveller community, tried to register the birth at Mid Ulster District offices in May 2024.

They said council staff were told they needed assistance with the form as both of them found it difficult to read and write and Mr Cawley has dyslexia.

However the couple said a deputy registrar assisting them changed attitude after hearing their accents.

The case, supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, was settled with no admission of liability.

Caroline Joyce said they “had to take a stand” after being made to feel like “second-class citizens” and that they “wern’t good enough”.

Mid Ulster District Council said it was sorry for “the way that the needs of these customers were handled at the time”.

The parents said the deputy registrar assigned to assist them said they did not help people to fill out paperwork – they claimed the employee’s attitude changed because of their accents.

They also said they were given a few minutes to complete the form and warned their appointment would be cancelled if they did not do so in that time frame.

Mr Cawley had unsuccessfully tried to use a mobile phone app to help in the time they were allocated. At this point, they said they were “shooed” out of the office.

Staff at reception offered to assist, the parents said, but were instructed not to by the deputy registrar before they were then asked to leave.

The parents returned to the council office because Mr Cawley forget his phone. A manager then helped them file a complaint.

The next day they were offered an appointment at a different council office and registered their daughter’s birth without incident.

Mid Ulster District Council later informed the parents their complaint was being upheld in relation to the failure to access registration services and also the conduct of staff.

The council also acknowledged poor customer service but made no mention of unlawful discrimination.

Mary Kitson, from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said that this case was “particularly distressing”, adding that the parents should have received the assistance they needed.

“Employers must ensure their staff know it is unlawful to refuse or provide a less favourable service to someone because of their race,” she added.

“We must robustly challenge racial prejudice and all discrimination where it occurs.”

In settling the case, Mid Ulster District Council said “there is no place for discrimination of any kind in our organisation”.

It said it was sorry “for the way the needs of these customers were handled” and that it will embed principles of equality via “an ongoing programme of employee training and development to prevent any reoccurrence”.