Almost £1m paid in NI discrimination cases

Close to £1 million was paid out to people alleging discrimination in Northern Ireland in the year to the end of March, according to a new report issued today.

The ninth annual report of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, which covers the period from April 2007 to March 2008, reveals that the organisation received over 3,000 enquiries from people seeking advice on potential complaints.

There were settlements in 90 cases taken by the Commission, with a total of £929,290 paid out to individuals who had alleged that they had experienced discrimination.

Age, disability, gender and race equality were among the issues tackled during the year.