Older people from across Northern Ireland spoke in the NI Assembly Chamber recently, taking the opportunity to have their say on issues and decisions that affect their lives. It comes after a survey carried out by the Northern Ireland Assembly in August and September, asking older people what the biggest issues they faced […]
Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt has welcomed the launch of the 2024/25 Experiential Learning (EL) programme. The EL Programme provides pharmacy undergraduate students with multi-sector clinical work placements across Northern Ireland. The programme will prepare future pharmacists to have a greater role in providing clinical care to patients and the public and, from 2026, […]
DAERA has launched the Rural Business Development Grant Scheme which will deliver £1.55million in capital grants to support rural micro businesses across Northern Ireland. The Rural Business Development Grant Scheme is funded through the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs ‘Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation’ (TRPSI) Programme and is delivered in […]
Education Minister Paul Givan has launched a new online toolkit to help preschool providers support newcomer children and their families living in Northern Ireland. The toolkit has been developed by the Education Authority’s Intercultural Education Service in partnership with pre-school settings. Welcoming the toolkit, the Minister says, “All children deserve an equal chance […]
SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty says the Executive must act to tackle hunger and food poverty. He was speaking after new research from the Trussell Trust showed around 200,000 people in the North are facing hunger, including 62,000 children. This is an increase of 21,000 people from 2019/20. Newry and Armagh […]
Local politicians visited the Newry and Dundalk Samaritans branch recently to connect with volunteers and gain an in-depth understanding of the essential services provided by the charity. The visit offered MLAs and Councillors the opportunity to hear directly from the dedicated volunteers who make Samaritans’ work possible. The team shared their experiences, challenges, […]
Over 1,000 new jobs are to be created in the Department for Communities (DfC) as part of an expansion in service delivery for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Communities Minister Gordon Lyons made the jobs announcement during a visit to DfC offices by DWP Minister Andrew Western. The roles in benefit […]
Following concerns raised regarding the fragility of the maternity services across the Southern Trust, Sinn Féin MLA Liz Kimmins has been in direct contact with Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and senior Department of Health Officials to ensure every effort is being made to address staffing issues and patient safety concerns. The party’s health […]
Justice Minister Naomi Long and Environment Minister Andrew Muir have officially ‘switched on’ a new solar farm at Hydebank Wood Secure College and Female Prison. The solar farm consists of 668 solar panels and is capable of producing 356 kWp of electricity, around 15% of the site’s total annual power needs. At current […]
A paper by the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC) confirms the disturbing relationship between paramilitarism and poor mental health in Northern Ireland. Whilst it has been internationally recognised that violence affects wellbeing, this paper is specific to NI and sets out the extent to which paramilitary harm negatively […]
