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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
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Measures to tackle racism within Scottish cricket must be implemented in full

A report issued today will reveal institutional racism within Scottish cricket.

The review was launched last year after former Scotland players Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh made serious allegations about the sport’s governing body.

An interim report in April revealed that the review had resulted in police involvement, with referrals also to Children First.

Publication will amount to a day of reckoning for senior figures who are either directly culpable or who did nothing.

This is why the entire board of Cricket Scotland has resigned en masse ahead of the report coming out.

Lawyer Aamer Anwar, Majid’s lawyer, said it would send tremors throughout the sport: “The inquiry has pulled no punches. It is a devastating indictment of Cricket Scotland, an organisation that was riddled from top to bottom with institutional racism.”

“Cricket Scotland and those who have resigned should be under no illusions.

“They have failed to offer any transparency. They have failed to actually hold people to account.

“It goes from top to bottom. That includes the selectors.”

The next stage must be the full implementation of whatever the report recommends.

Its findings cannot be ignored and the report must not be allowed simply to gather dust.

People from ethnic minority communities must have confidence that the new board takes racism seriously.

Other organisations have been found to be institutionally racist and far reaching consequences followed.

Change must be done - and be seen to be done.

Governments must sort benefits IT row

One of the best things to come out of the independence referendum was the devolution of parts of the social security system.

More than 10 benefits once under the control of the DWP are now the responsibility of the agency set up by Holyrood.

Decisions made by the Scottish Parliament have been more humane and the nastiness exhibited by the Tory Government is on the wane.

The creation of the £20 a week Scottish Child Payment was also a hugely positive move.

However, this stage of devolution has also been dogged by problems.

Transferring parts of social security is a mammoth task, involving data sharing and the creation of new IT systems.

It is unacceptable the IT side of the scheme has still not been completed six years after legislation was passed.

Social security is a vital aspect of people’s lives and payments cannot be put at risk by a petty dispute.

Both Governments must knock heads together and get this row sorted as quickly as possible.

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