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 screenshot showing the distribution of foodbanks in NI

Foodbank distribution in Northern Ireland

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

A summary of COVID-19 funding

A snapshot of COVID-19 funding (updated)

This visualisation provides a series of interactive graphs compiled by the Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe), which offer a snapshot of government funding allocated

A graph showing COVID-19 funding by department and support category

A snapshot of COVID-19 funding

This visualisation provides a series of interactive graphs compiled by the Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe), which offer a snapshot of government funding allocated

An aerial view of the Peace Bridge in Derry/Londonderry

COVID-19 and planning measures

This article explores the temporary planning measures introduced as a response to COVID-19 across the UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI). Some of these measures

An image of a farming landscape in Ireland

COVID-19 and farming – A bitter harvest?

2020 was already set to be a challenging year for farmers across the UK. Having finally reached an agreed Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the UK is set to formally leave the EU at the end of the current transitional period in December 2020.  As a result of this decision, the UK and each of the devolved administrations were facing major changes in terms of how they would be supporting farmers outside the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) framework. There were concerns amongst some local stakeholders around the impacts that such moves would have on the nature and viability of agriculture here.

An image showing a reader consulting reference material in the Assembly Library

COVID-19 and Brexit: A reading list

Brexit and the negotiations during the current transition period may have slipped from the top of the news agenda, but commentators are already beginning to