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A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service

Latest Articles

Browse all the articles published on the Research Matters blog, with the most recent articles appearing at the top.

A picture of a Scrabble board showing words such as 'school', 'learn' and 'read'.

Parental pressures in education

This blog article will consider two main issues. First, it will examine the financial pressures facing parents in supporting their children through the school system.

A photograph showing primary school children learning in a forest environment

Forest Schools: inside nature’s classroom

Northern Ireland faces a dual challenge of declining biodiversity and diminishing childhood engagement with nature. Forest Schools have emerged as a potential innovative solution, with

A first person view looking down the 'Stairway to Heaven' Boardwalk in Cuilcagh Mountain, Ireland. Cuilcagh is a mountain on the border between County Fermanagh and County Cavan. The boardwalk is a wooden pathway constructed through the rocky mountainous area.

Tourism update: 2024

Introduction Tourism in Northern Ireland accounted for £2.3 billion or 5% of the region’s Gross Value Added in 2019. The sector supported 70,200 jobs in

Overhead satellite image of Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland.

Algal Blooms and Lough Neagh

In recent years, algal blooms have drawn large-scale notoriety and attention. We take a look at their global impact on areas of natural beauty.

Northern Ireland Constituency map

Constituency Profiles

Constituency Profiles are produced by the Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe) of the Northern Ireland Assembly and provide a statistical overview of each Northern Ireland constituency. This year the profiles have been redesigned in a new online format which provides additional interactivity with the data for end users. (Updated October 2022)

Impact of Covid-19

The impact of COVID-19 on Northern Ireland

This visualisation based on analysis published by Ulster Bank, Danske Bank, NISRA, PSNI and Google Mobility Reports, looks at the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland.

Budget

Executive Budget 2021-22

This Interactive Timeline illustrates the complexity of the situation surrounding the formation of the draft Executive Budget 2021-22. 

Foodbanks

Foodbank distribution in Northern Ireland

Foodbanks are an increasingly useful resource for many. This interactive mapping application provides the location and contact details of all currently operational foodbanks, as of December 2020.

Coronavirus funding

A snapshot of COVID-19 funding

This visualisation provides a series of interactive graphs compiled by RaISe, offering a snapshot of government funding allocated to address key challenges arising from the effects of the pandemic.

An image of a clipboard with the word 'cancer' on it, surrounded by items of medical equipment

Cancer in Northern Ireland: Strategy and beyond

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

An image of a statue of a woman holding the scales of justice

Abortion and safe access zones

In September 2021, Clare Bailey MLA introduced the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill to the Assembly. The Bill passed Second Stage on 12 October