
Sinn Féin MP Dáire Hughes has slammed the ever-increasing cost of home and motor insurance for residents of the BT34 and BT35 areas. Dáire Hughes comments, “My office has been inundated with people reporting massive increases to the cost of their car and home insurance policies. “Home insurance costs in particular have drastically […]

Economy Minister Conor Murphy has announced Multiply, a new, free-to-access programme aimed at improving adult numeracy skills. Funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Multiply will support the delivery of numeracy training to more than 3,000 adults through 115 initiatives delivered by further education colleges, universities and local councils in partnership with voluntary […]

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 […]
Nov 4 2024 | Posted in
Business,
Politics |
Read More »

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 […]
Oct 31 2024 | Posted in
Community,
Politics |
Read More »

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, […]
Oct 31 2024 | Posted in
Community,
Politics |
Read More »

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 […]
Oct 25 2024 | Posted in
Community,
Politics |
Read More »