Research into ethnic minority gays criticised for wasting taxpayers money

A research project into ethnic minority gays in Scotland has been criticised for wasting taxpayer’s money after only six people were found to take part in the research.

In total £35,000 of taxpayer’s money was used after the research was approved by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The research was led by gay rights group Equality Network, together with Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland (BEMIS), and involved interviews as part of the research. However, even the interviews did not take place with the six individuals, but only with equality organisations.

Despite criticism the Scottish Government refused to rule out further funding for the research team.

A spokesman told the Scottish Daily Mail: “They have highlighted a gap in research and we now have to explore how best to address it.”

The communities spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives Jamie McGrigor MSP said: “This is another example of work being generated for its own sake and, when public sector funds are extremely tight, that is unacceptable.”

Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “This is an absolutely scandalous waste of money and an insult to the hard-working taxpayers who have forked out for this pointless initiative.”

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has come under increasing fire for its use of funding. In June it was reported that the Commission had funded Britain’s leading gay lobby group, Stonewall, to produce a report on how to deal with religious employees in the workplace.

In addition, last year the Commission gave a humanist group which wants to sideline religion from public life £35,000 to lecture on the place of faith and belief in equality and human rights, according to The Christian Institute.

The result of the research - a 236-page report entitled ‘Everyone In’ - is currently available for viewing on the Equality Network and BEMIS websites.