ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the characteristics of Scotland’s minority ethnic groups, in terms of whom they are and where they live. It highlights some of the relevant features of the Scottish housing context which make the ‘race and housing’ issue different in Scotland than in England. The chapter draws on new research evidence, the housing experiences, needs and preferences of Scotland’s minority ethnic groups. The chapter explores the legal implications of some of the findings, focusing on the two key issues of racial discrimination in access to housing, and racial harassment. However, the housing authority refused to consider change, having established through their own legal department a point which was not contested by the researchers. The process has been described by Lord Denning as ‘a spider’s web’ and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) Staff Commission and legal advisers have developed cumbersome formal investigation machinery to protect the CRE against the possibility of judicial review.
