Snapshot of COVID-19 Funding: Department for Communities
Reading Time: < 1 minute This visualisation provides a series of interactive graphs compiled by the Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe), which offer a snapshot of government funding allocated by the Department for Communities (DfC) to address key challenges
Eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic
Reading Time: 6 minutes Following the Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which took place in the United Kingdom in March 2021, this article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on individuals with eating disorders. This article is
How has Arts Council NI COVID-19 emergency funding been distributed to arts organisations?
Reading Time: 3 minutes By James Bamford, Karen McCallion & Thomas Procter The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has the role of distributing arts funding for the Department for Communities (DfC) from resources allocated by the Exchequer and
COVID-19 and farming – A bitter harvest?
Reading Time: 6 minutes 2020 was already set to be a challenging year for farmers across the UK. Having finally reached an agreed Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the UK is set to formally leave the EU at
Farmers and mental health
Reading Time: 5 minutes In this Mental Health Awareness Week, which also coincides with this year’s Balmoral Show, this article examines an issue which has received comparatively little attention and on which, so far, not much research has been
What now for direct support to farmers in Northern Ireland post-Brexit?
Reading Time: 5 minutes A key issue within Northern Ireland since the UK’s decision to leave the EU in June 2016 is exactly how this decision will affect local farming?
Is Northern Ireland ‘Open’ for business? Examining the social and economic impact of sporting events
Reading Time: 7 minutes This article draws on recent experiences of Government-funded sporting events in Northern Ireland (NI), highlighting a number of those events, in particular their economic and social benefits. Such past events have helped to develop NI’s
Northern Ireland trade in goods, 2018
Reading Time: 3 minutes This blog post provides an overview of Northern Ireland’s (NI) current position with regard to trade in goods and updates our previous blog on NI’s trade in goods in 2017. It uses the most recent
Regional devolution for Northern Ireland: What’s the big deal?
Reading Time: 5 minutes On 26 March 2019, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (NI) signed an agreement between the United Kingdom (UK) Government, the NI Civil Service and six of the 11 NI district councils. This gave
Every child deserves a real chance in life: A renewed government focus on solving educational underachievement in Northern Ireland?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Young people have faced unprecedented changes to their childhoods and futures due to COVID-19. A significant part of this disruption has been to their education. While schools and education staff adapted admirably to online learning,
COVID-19 and school shutdowns: Examining the after-effects
Reading Time: 7 minutes In an effort to minimise the spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2 (which causes the disease COVID-19), schools in Northern Ireland closed their doors to normal school life on 23 March 2020. Approximately 450 schools remained
Free periods? Period poverty, its impact on education, and policy responses to the issue
Reading Time: 7 minutes Period poverty is a topical issue, globally and within the United Kingdom (UK). Recently, there has been some concern about the relationship between period poverty and school attendance. In addition, the reduction of taxation on
Who runs Northern Ireland? Taking stock of gender and power in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 4 minutes Please note that more up-to-date statistics on gender representation can be found in the RaISe research paper Who Runs Northern Ireland? A Summary of Statistics Relating to Gender and Power in 2020. The late feminist
EU exit regulations and Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 4 minutes A high profile consequence of the continuing failure to establish an Executive and fully functioning Assembly was the legislative passage this week of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill 2018. A
A brief overview of the Northern Ireland Assembly Library
Reading Time: 5 minutes This week is Libraries Week so we thought we would provide an insight into the Northern Ireland Assembly Library, its work and the collection that it manages. The Assembly Library The Library, like the Assembly
Alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland
Reading Time: 5 minutes Overview The latest figures published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (February 2021) show that the number of alcohol-specific deaths in 2019 was the highest ever recorded, with 336 registered deaths linked
Eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic
Reading Time: 6 minutes Following the Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which took place in the United Kingdom in March 2021, this article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on individuals with eating disorders. This article is
Social media spread of misinformation and COVID-19 vaccine uptake
Reading Time: 6 minutes As the COVID-19 vaccination programme progresses in Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, this article considers the causes and consequences of misinformation surrounding vaccines, and highlights possible ways to tackle it. Information,
Decarbonising road transport – The challenge is set
Reading Time: 8 minutes When the UK Government became the world’s first major economy to legislate for a ‘net zero’ target for carbon emissions by 2050, it acknowledged it would not succeed unless fundamental changes occur in the way
Grit Expectations: How and when are our roads and footpaths salted during the winter season?
Reading Time: 6 minutes By Des McKibbin & Keara McKay As temperatures plummetted towards the end of November 2017, forecasters began to predict the coldest December in seven years. Meteorologists are suggesting winter 2017/18 could be colder than normal
Is road safety worse in the border region?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Death and serious injury from road traffic collisions (RTCs) are tragic events bringing untold pain and suffering on families. At the same time, through better understanding of what causes them and targeting appropriate action, they
The UK’s exit from the EU – Data protection, adequacy and divergence
Reading Time: 8 minutes This article examines the UK’s exit from the EU in the context of data protection, and highlights the considerations that will apply as the UK considers the costs, benefits and complications of divergence from EU
Dispute resolution under the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol
Reading Time: 5 minutes The Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Withdrawal Agreement, and was designed to deal with the effect of the UK’s exit from the EU on the island of Ireland. This Protocol sets out arrangements
How is Brexit changing things for our artists?
Reading Time: 7 minutes This article examines some of the potential implications for artists in Northern Ireland (NI) following the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) exit from the European Union (EU). Once COVID-19 restrictions ease and movement of people resumes;
