The Department of Social Development has launched a 12 week consultation which would see the creation of new Business Improvement Districts (BID) across Northern Ireland. If adopted, the Business Improvement Districts (NI) Act 2013 would empower traders and business owners in towns, cities and rural areas across Northern Ireland to...
The Department for Social Development has published a report into Northern Ireland Housing Executive maintenance contracts. The report was commissioned by the Housing Minister Nelson McCausland in October 2011 following his concerns with the Housing Executive’s management of response maintenance. He received the report on 29 June 2012 and, following...
Northern Ireland’s Department of Social Development has introduced a Pavement Cafe Bill into the Assembly. The proposed statutory licensing scheme will let cafe, restaurant and bar owners seek permission from their local council to place tables and chairs in public places for use by their customers. The Bill would give...
Less than 30% of Northern Ireland graduates in so-called STEM subjects (as Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) are female, according to Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry. In a statement to the Assembly on gender issues in employment, learning and skills, the Minister said that on leaving school, females...
The future development of Belfast is critical to the economic well-being of everyone living here, according to First Minister, Peter Robinson. The First and Deputy First Ministers were attending Belfast City Council’s City Development Conference, where the First Minister said Belfast City Council’s Investment Programme was closely aligned to the...
The UK has narrowly escaped a ‘triple-dip’ recession with the Office for National Statistics today confirming a weak return to growth in the first quarter of 2013. According to the GDP data, the economy grew by 0.3%, with much of this activity down to a resilient service sector, where output...
The UK’s budget deficit remained stuck at just over £120 billion in 2012/2103, according to the latest public sector finance data, released today. Dr Esmond Birnie, PwC’s chief economist in Northern Ireland, says that when you exclude special factors, the picture doesn’t appear that different to both the previous year's...
The Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (DETI) has launched the MATRIX Horizon Panel report into Sustainable Energy. The report sets out the current capability of Northern Ireland’s Sustainable Energy technology sector and outlines future global market opportunities for local companies to exploit. The report points to ‘Intelligent Energy Systems’...
The total volume of construction output in Northern Ireland in the fourth quarter of 2012 increased slightly by 0.5% compared to Q3 2012 but was 5.8% lower as compared to the same quarter in 2011. This latest quarterly increase follows two consecutive quarters of negative growth according to the latest...
The Department of Environment has launched a consultation on proposed changes to planning fees in Northern Ireland. The proposed amendments are part of a further phase of planning reform and are designed to reshape elements of the fee structure, with a view to alleviating the financial burden on individuals, developers...
