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A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service

Published pre May 2022

This is a tag applied to all posts published before May 2022. This is because they are all using the same single post template that won’t be used on new posts going forward.

Mental health and illness word cloud

Mental health and illness in Northern Ireland (1): Overview – related strategy and reports

This article is the first in a series looking at mental health and illness in Northern Ireland, covering relevant reviews, policies, reports, services, treatments and access to these services. This blog post sets the scene and highlights key policies, strategies and action plans to date. A more detailed RaISe briefing on many of the issues is available.

Mental health and illness word cloud

Read More »Mental health and illness in Northern Ireland (1): Overview – related strategy and reports

Pharmacist assisting a customer (Creative Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pharmacist_assisting_a_customer_at_Terry_White_Chemists.jpg)

Northern Ireland’s health crisis: can pharmacists relieve the pressure on GPs?

The growing pressure on primary healthcare services is reported in the media on an almost daily basis – a key reason being that people are living longer, often with chronic and complex healthcare needs. This article looks at how an enhanced role for community pharmacists in health promotion and medicine management is intended to help deliver the vision for healthcare delivery in Northern Ireland over the next ten years.

Pharmacist assisting a customer (Creative Commons)
Image: Creative Commons

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Breastfeeding welcome here?

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. This article looks at the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies versus the influence social attitudes can have, and asks if attitudes towards breastfeeding in public places in Northern Ireland are changing.

Image by Dave Clubb
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Copy of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Economic Strategy and the Programme for Government Consultation Document

A revised strategy for Northern Ireland’s Economy

By Eóin Murphy, Michael Scholes, and Aidan Stennett

The Northern Ireland Executive is currently revising its Economic Strategy.  What are the key factors it should take into consideration when carrying out this revision?

Copy of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Economic Strategy and the Programme for Government Consultation Document
Copy of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Economic Strategy and the Programme for Government Consultation Document

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International Day of Persons with Disability

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Tomorrow is International Day of Persons with Disability. Coordinated by the United Nations, this event has been celebrated since 1992. Many different groups, organisations and individuals will be holding events to mark the occasion, and the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Charity of the Year is the Cedar Foundation, which delivers a range of services for people with disabilities. There are many different aspects to the issue of disability, and here are some of the resources which RaISe has produced in this mandate and the previous one in support of Assembly scrutiny of disability policy and legislation[1].

The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly with the Cedar Foundation at the launch of the Assembly Charity of the Year
The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly with the Cedar Foundation at the launch of the Assembly Charity of the Year

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A word cloud for Explanatory and Financial Memoranda

How good are Northern Ireland’s Explanatory and Financial Memoranda?

In the 2011-16 Assembly Mandate, MLAs debated, scrutinised and passed a range of legislation across a number of policy areas – from Mental Capacity to Licensing of Pavement Cafes, from Tobacco Retail to Rural Needs.  When a Bill is introduced in the Assembly, it is accompanied by an Explanatory and Financial Memorandum (EFM).  The EFM is essentially a guide to understanding the policy intentions and the cost of a proposed measure. But how useful are these EFMs?

A word cloud for Explanatory and Financial MemorandaRead More »How good are Northern Ireland’s Explanatory and Financial Memoranda?

A car involved in a road traffic collision being towed (Image: Pixabay)

Fatal and serious road traffic collisions in Northern Ireland

It is difficult to grasp the full extent of what is portrayed by road traffic collision statistics. Each statistic represents a human being and, in the case of those killed or seriously injured, is an untold story of heartbreak and despair, wreaking devastating havoc on families across Northern Ireland. Identifying the factors that contribute to these collisions can inform public education, new technologies and enforcement with the aim of reducing the number and impact of road traffic collisions.

A car involved in a road traffic collision being towed (Image: Pixabay)
A car involved in a road traffic collision being towed (Image: Pixabay)

Read More »Fatal and serious road traffic collisions in Northern Ireland