ABSTRACT
The economic boom of the post-war reconstruction of Britain brought about the arrival of numerous immigrant workers as a response to labour shortages. According to the 1991 Census (Country of Birth, Great Britain) 3.8 million people in Britain were bom overseas. However, almost half of these (1.81 million) are from Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other countries, including Western Europe. The other 1.96 million were bom mostly in New Commonwealth countries and Pakistan. 1 The establishment of ethnic minorities of immigrant origin is a recent phenomenon in Britain which began substantially at the end of the Second World War and in the wake of decolonisation. The implications of this migratory flow had not been foreseen and led to the emergence of laws, policies and changes in the social fabric which are summarised in this chapter.
