Mothers were prepared to forgo antenatal care, study into polarisation found

Some pregnant women in Belfast were prepared to forgo antenatal care rather than travel to a medical clinic in an area dominated by another religion, a study into the cost of a polarised society found in 2001.

The draft report, among newly released Public Record Office files, said that three decades of civil unrest had created “two distinct and separate communities in Northern Ireland”.

The report, entitled Public Expenditure Impact of Polarised Society, is in an Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) file called Review of Community Relations Policy.

The file details the challenges attempting to measure the additional costs where many services were duplicated to serve Catholic and Protestant areas.

The draft report says: “Northern Ireland is a deeply divided society.

“The most obvious expression of this division is the violence and civil unrest which has blighted the province since 1969.

“Three decades of political unrest have created two distinct and separate communities in Northern Ireland.

“Each community has its own separate education system, bus routes, community centres and doctor surgeries.

“The polarisation within these communities is often surprisingly extreme, a recent study in Belfast found that some mothers were prepared to forgo antitnatal (sic) care for their children in order to avoid attending a clinic located within an area populated by a different religious group.”

The paper said it would attempt to identify and quantify the impact on public expenditure of “providing services to a polarised and separate community”.

It said public expenditure in Northern Ireland was higher per person than in other parts of the UK.

It added: “Prolonged civil unrest has resulted in Northern Ireland requiring a much larger police force than would otherwise have been the case.

“Rioting and bombings cause a great deal of damage to both public and private property.

“As insurance companies rarely cover civil unrest and acts of terrorism, the Northern Ireland Office pays compensation for both personal injuries and property damages as a result of civil unrest.

“The Department of the Environment (DoE) set aside £250,000 per year to repair damage caused to road surfaces during civil disturbances.”

The paper added: “Northern Ireland society has evolved into two very distinct communities.

“In certain areas of Northern Ireland this polarisation has become particularly pronounced.

“A recent study carried out by the University of Ulster found that 78% of Catholics and 76.6% of Protestants would not work in an area dominated by another religion.

“This limited mobility has resulted in many services, which could otherwise have operated from a single location, being duplicated in each community.”

It continues: “Secondary care/Community Health centres would be more likely to suffer duplication given that they cover larger catchment areas which may not be containable within existing societal divides.

“North and West Belfast is usually cited as a Trust area which has to incur this type of duplication.

“A polarised society limits the mobility of its inhabitants.

“Bus routes often must be mapped out to avoid passing through two areas of differing religious affiliation.”