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Research Matters

A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service
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Research Matters
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Research Matters

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.

A line graph which shows that the level of fiscal transfer to NI has been fairly even over the last five years.

How much of what we spend on public services in Northern Ireland is paid for by locally raised tax revenue?

Northern Ireland (NI) receives a sizeable fiscal transfer from the United Kingdom (UK) Government. In other words, considerably more is spent on public services than is raised in revenue. NI therefore relies on taxpayers elsewhere in the UK. Fiscal transfers from national government to sub-national regions are commonplace; they are intended to help redress variances in local economic performance.

Read More »How much of what we spend on public services in Northern Ireland is paid for by locally raised tax revenue?

Figure 1: 2015-16 FTC Allocations and Returns

Financial Transactions Capital: What is it, and how can it be used?

Financial Transactions Capital (FTC) is funding allocated to the Executive by the United Kingdom (UK) Government. The Executive has discretion over FTC allocation to projects. However, FTC can be deployed only as a loan to or equity investment in a capital project delivered by a private sector entity (‘private sector’ is defined here using the Office of National Statistics classification and includes charities and universities).

Read More »Financial Transactions Capital: What is it, and how can it be used?

What lies in store for the objects from our past?

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During the last mandate, it was estimated that almost 1.5 million objects from archaeological sites in Northern Ireland lie in temporary storage, uncurated and inaccessible to the public. What lies in store for these objects, and could the bringing together of policy teams for museums and the historic environment in the new Department for Communities represent an opportunity to leverage public benefit from this resource?

A comb made from animal bone, from the Drumclay crannóg excavation (Image: Dan Hull)
An early medieval comb made from red deer antler, from the Drumclay crannóg excavation (Image: Dan Hull)

Read More »What lies in store for the objects from our past?

A map showing the constituencies of Northern Ireland.

Should the Assembly break the constituency link with Westminster?

The May 2016 election was the last at which 108 Members would be returned to the Assembly. At the next Assembly election there will be a reduction in the number of MLAs returned. The Fresh Start Agreement of November 2015 contained a commitment to reduce the number of MLAs from 108 to 90 and this commitment will be implemented through the Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Bill 2016, which reduces from six to five the number of MLAs returned per constituency. These changes will take effect at the 2021 election or earlier if an extraordinary Assembly election is called. But the constituencies used for Assembly elections are defined in the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as those used for UK parliamentary elections. Potential changes to the number of these constituencies would impact, therefore, on the number of MLAs at the time of the next scheduled Assembly election in 2021.

A map showing the constituencies of Northern Ireland.
A map showing the constituencies of Northern Ireland.

Read More »Should the Assembly break the constituency link with Westminster?

Front cover of the DARD resource accounts for 2014/15

What are Public Sector Annual Reports and Accounts and how can I access them?

Front cover of the DARD resource accounts for 2014/15The purpose of an ‘Annual Report and Accounts’ is to provide information about an entity’s financial position, changes in financial position, financial performance and cash flows. It should be useful to a wide range of users, enabling them to assess the stewardship and accountability of management for the resources entrusted to them.

The majority of public sector bodies in Northern Ireland (NI) operate a financial year which runs from 1 April to 31 March. By summer recess most public sector accounts are audited and laid in the Assembly. From July the public therefore can access a large number of audited public sector accounts on the organisation’s website.

The 2015-16 financial year has seen a number of significant changes to the format and content of Public Sector Annual Reports and Accounts. The following post sets out the reporting requirements for Public Sector Annual reports and Accounts for the 2015-16 year onwards.Read More »What are Public Sector Annual Reports and Accounts and how can I access them?

Further education enrolments as a proportion of the population aged 16 and over at ward level, 2013/14

An insight into Northern Ireland Constituency Profiles

Please note that the Constituency Profiles have been updated with a new layout and are available on a new page here.

The Research and Information Service (RaISe) has just produced updated 2016 Constituency Profiles for each of the 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland. This article looks at why and how these profiles are produced.

Map of Fermanagh and South Tyrone highlighting further education enrolments as a proportion of the 16+ population for 2013/14
Map of Fermanagh and South Tyrone highlighting further education enrolments as a proportion of the 16+ population for 2013/14

Read More »An insight into Northern Ireland Constituency Profiles

The plenary chamber of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Women in public life: Where does Northern Ireland stand?

Please note that more up-to-date statistics on gender representation can be found in the RaISe research paper Who Runs Northern Ireland? A Summary of Statistics Relating to Gender and Power in 2020.

Following the February 2016 election to Dáil Éireann, the Northern Ireland Assembly had the lowest representation of women of any legislature in Britain and Ireland. At 22%, the Dáil brushed in above the Assembly’s 21%. Even then, the number of women Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) had been enhanced by more female than male co-options during the mandate: in 2011, 19% of elected MLAs were women. However, the 2016 Assembly election saw an unprecedented 30 female MLAs returned (28%), without the use of quotas.
Read More »Women in public life: Where does Northern Ireland stand?

Artwork hanging in the street during Belfast Culture Night (Image by David Bunting, Images-NI, under Creative Commons)

Where has the culture and arts strategy got to?

Back in November 2015, prior to the re-structuring of departments, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure published a consultation document, seeking views on the development of a ‘Strategy for Culture & Arts 2016-2026’. This article examines progress so far towards this strategy, including a comparison with some similar strategies elsewhere.

Artwork hanging in the street during Belfast Culture Night (Image by David Bunting, Images-NI, under Creative Commons)
Artwork hanging in the street during Belfast Culture Night (Image by David Bunting, Images-NI, under Creative Commons)

Read More »Where has the culture and arts strategy got to?

An image of a doctor and a couple having a discussion (Image: Rhoda Baer)

Advance decisions to refuse treatment: Where are we now?

An advance decision to refuse treatment (sometimes known as a living will) is a decision a person can make now to refuse a specific type of treatment at some time in the future.

The Mental Capacity Act was passed late in the last Assembly mandate and received Royal Assent on 9 May 2016. With it, Northern Ireland became the first jurisdiction in the world to fuse mental health and mental capacity law as first recommended by the Bamford Review in its legislative report published in 2007. Under the new law, it will no longer be possible to treat a person who retains capacity (for a particular treatment decision) against their will. This principle will apply to both contemporaneous and advance decisions to refuse treatment, and to treatment decisions regarding both physical and mental conditions.

An image of a doctor and a couple having a discussion (Image: Rhoda Baer)
An image of a doctor and a couple having a discussion (Image: Rhoda Baer, Wikimedia Commons)

Read More »Advance decisions to refuse treatment: Where are we now?

A snapshot of some of the key housing issues in the new mandate: an image of houses and money

A snapshot of some of the key housing issues for the new mandate: Housing supply and demand

Good quality, affordable housing plays a significant role in maintaining physical, mental and social wellbeing. Additionally, the housing market is an important driver of economic growth and regeneration. Therefore, it may be a concern that housing supply is not keeping up with demand in Northern Ireland.

A snapshot of some of the key housing issues in the new mandate: an image of houses and money
A snapshot of some of the key housing issues in the new mandate: An image of houses and money (Credit: Images Money, under Creative Commons without modification)

Read More »A snapshot of some of the key housing issues for the new mandate: Housing supply and demand

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Research and Information Service
Northern Ireland Assembly
Ballymiscaw
Stormont
Belfast
BT4 3XX
Phone: 028 9041 8320

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