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
Breastfeeding in public is often a topic for debate. Although a very personal decision for parents, breastfeeding in public spaces is viewed as a social issue with divided opinions….
The draft Programme for Government contains a commitment to running a pilot family drug and alcohol court in Northern Ireland. Such courts have been used in England for some…
Community Relations
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
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…
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…
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
While women are increasingly better educated than men, they earn less, feel less financially secure, provide the bulk of unpaid care, have smaller pensions, face greater hardship in later…
By Aidan Stennett & Eóin Murphy Please note: we have posted a new version of this blog article using the most recent data, see here. This article examines the gender…
Following decades of piecemeal development, governments are increasingly seeking to address the common problem of fragmented, uneven and incoherent equality legislation….
Health and Social Care
Context The RaISe research paper ‘Exit’ from COVID-19 ‘lockdown’: Health-related issues (20 May 2020) contained sections on transmission of the virus SARS-CoV-2 and two of the key issues –…
The Assembly Research and Information Service (RaISe) has published a number of papers on testing for Sars-CoV-2 tracking and contact tracing, including ‘Testing for Sars-CoV-2 in the UK; and…
The risk is that a complicated number is released without context into a world that doesn’t know how to think about it. The ‘R number’ that most of…
Housing
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…
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…
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…
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…
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
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
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…
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…