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A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service

Health and Society Blog Archive

Here you will find an archive of Health and Society Blog articles published before 1 May 2022, divided into their relevant categories.

Children and Families

A black and white image of a woman with her hand covering her face
In 2016 a man called Lance Hart shot his wife Claire and daughter Charlotte outside a swimming pool in Lincolnshire, England, before turning his shotgun on himself. Some of…
Image of children running
By Lesley-Ann Black & Dan Hull This article examines levels of childhood obesity and inactivity in our children in Northern Ireland and asks what more can be done to…
An image showing a child in a thumbs up pose
A significant number of European Union laws and policies have a direct role in protecting and promoting children’s rights. What has the EU achieved in the area of cross-border…

Community Relations

Peace wall graffiti, Belfast (Image by Still Burning under Creative Commons)
Are we still sectarian, or the ‘race-hate capital’?…
Reconciliation sculpture i nthe grounds of the Stormont Estate, by the artist Josefina de Vasconcellos.
One area that has created considerable political division in Northern Ireland is how to deal with a contested past. Broadly, ‘dealing with the past’ tends to refer to issues…

Culture and Sport

An image showing a set of gambling machines
Gambling in Northern Ireland is currently regulated under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985 (‘the Order’). The Order is modelled on an older law covering Great…
An image showing a ong road heading into the Mourne Mountains
To support the Communities Committee’s consideration of recommendations for the culture sector’s recovery in Northern Ireland, this two-part blog post provides an overview of cultural recovery initiatives from other…
An image showing an audience at a music concert
To support the Communities Committee’s consideration of future recommendations for the recovery of the cultural sectors in Northern Ireland, this two-part blog post provides an overview of cultural recovery…

Equality

An image showing a group of women talking and laughing
Women’s gynaecological health refers to, menstruation, sexual health, fertility and menopause. Health inequalities experienced by women have long been apparent, often described by campaigners as the ‘gender-health gap’. Evidence…
An image showing members of staff doing 'high fives'
By Michael Scholes & Aidan Stennett To highlight International Women’s Day, the following article updates our previous blog article examining the Gender Pay Gap in Northern Ireland, presenting the…
A graph comparing Northern Ireland median hourly pay by industry and gender for 2019
By Michael Scholes & Aidan Stennett To highlight International Women’s Day, the following article updates our previous blog article examining the Gender Pay Gap in Northern Ireland, presenting the…

Health and Social Care

An image showing some prescription pills
by Max Larkinson & James Bamford Earlier this year the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published a report on Addiction Services in Northern Ireland (NI), highlighting a steady increase of…
An image showing a group of women talking and laughing
Women’s gynaecological health refers to, menstruation, sexual health, fertility and menopause. Health inequalities experienced by women have long been apparent, often described by campaigners as the ‘gender-health gap’. Evidence…
An image of a clipboard with the word 'cancer' on it, surrounded by items of medical equipment
The World Health Organisation recommends that every country should have a cancer strategy regardless of resource constraints. The proposed 10-year Cancer Strategy for Northern Ireland (NI) aims to improve…

Housing

A picture of a person signing a contract with a keys and a keyring of a house in the background
What is the distinction between an estate agent and a letting agent? Why is it important for consumers in Northern Ireland to distinguish between the two? Are the negative…
A row of 'To Let' signs in Belfast
The private rented sector plays a vital role in the Northern Ireland housing market. There has been a focus on the regulation of the sector in recent years in…
Edwardian chimneys in Belfast
Homelessness strategies across Europe have traditionally focused on a housing-led approach. This approach prioritises treatment and addiction recovery. Service users transition through stages of temporary accommodation before permanent housing is…

Immigration

This paper presents a brief demographic profile of Northern Ireland, updating a previous article on this subject in 2016. It shows emerging trends in the population, and comparisons with…
An image showing shelters within a refugee camp in Turkey
The most recent Global Report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that over 71 million people were ‘of concern’ in 2017. This includes refugees, asylum…
Bar chart showing population change in Northern Ireland by age band, between 2004 and 2014 (Source: NISRA (2015) Northern Ireland Population Estimates 2014)
Please note: we have posted a new version of this blog article using the most recent data, see here. This article presents a brief demographic profile of Northern Ireland,…

Third Sector

An image of two hands: there may be testing times ahead for the Third Sector
The Third Sector makes a substantial, but at times unrecognised, contribution to society in Northern Ireland. It is a key provider of health/social care; housing/housing support; education and training;…

Welfare

A screenshot showing the distribution of foodbanks in NI
Foodbanks are an increasingly useful resource for many in Northern Ireland. They provide a valuable service to communities and are continually helping to feed those in need. An interactive…
A word cloud depicting key words relating to welfare reform
The Welfare Reform Bill was undoubtedly one of the most contentious pieces of legislation to come before the Assembly in the last mandate. Where have we got to and…