{
  "id": "96-354",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "96-354",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 316348,
      "date": "1996-04-18",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T21:03:03.789941",
      "title": "Northern Ireland: Fair Employment and the MacBride Principles",
      "summary": "This document also available in  PDF Image .\n  The conflict in Northern Ireland reflects a struggle between different national, cultural and\nreligious identities. Many observers have identified economic development as key to fostering a\nlasting peace there. All major social and economic indicators show that Roman Catholics in\nNorthern Ireland, representing roughly 42% of the population, are more disadvantaged than\nProtestants, comprising 56% of the population. The most persistent area of inequality has been\nunemployment. The differential in unemployment rates has marginally declined since 1971, but\nCatholics still experience rates of unemployment roughly twice as high as Protestants.\n  The British government has taken measures to try to rid Northern Ireland of discrimination in\nthe employment area. Through the Fair Employment Act of 1989 (NI), it considerably strengthened\nlegislation originally passed in 1976, giving Northern Ireland the toughest anti-discrimination\nlegislation in Europe. The Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights is engaged currently\nin a comprehensive review of that legislation and all relevant government policies. The British\ngovernment sees inward investment and the creation of employment opportunities, linked to its fair\nemployment legislation, as the best antidotes to the disproportionately high levels of Catholic\nunemployment.\n  Some observers reproach Britain for what they see as only limited measures to tackle the\nproblem of fair employment practices. These critics call for the implementation of the MacBride\nPrinciples, a set of nine equal opportunity/affirmative action principles intended to promote\nemployment options for members of underrepresented religious groups in Northern Ireland. \nLegislation has been introduced in Congress relating to the MacBride Principles. The American\nOverseas Interests Act ( H.R. 1561  -- which authorizes appropriations for foreign\nassistance programs, including the International Fund for Ireland) conditioned receipt of U.S.\ncontributions to the Fund on compliance with modified MacBride Principles. The legislation was\napproved by the House on March 12, 1996, and by the Senate on March 28, but President Clinton\nvetoed the bill on grounds not related to Ireland on April 12; an override vote is expected in late\nApril but appears unlikely to succeed, according to various sources.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/96-354",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Appropriations"
  ]
}