Forward Look
The NI Executive announced more lockdown relaxations this week. From today, all retail stores and shopping centres can reopen, the housing market will reopen from Monday 15 June, groups of up to 10 people from different households can meet outdoors with social distancing, and “support bubbles” will be permitted to allow people who live alone to stay the night at another household. Lockdown regulations will again be reviewed on Thursday 18 June.
Economy Minister Diane Dodds MLA has said she hopes to bring a paper to the Executive at the start of next week on the reopening of the hospitality sector. Hospitality businesses have urged the Executive to reduce social distancing measures from 2 metres to 1 metre to allow them to reopen.
Special Adviser to First Minister Arlene Foster MLA, Kim Ashton, has resigned from her role after less than three months to take up a role in the private sector. There are currently no plans to replace Ms Ashton, who is also a DUP local councillor on Mid Ulster Council.
Labour MP for City of Durham Mary Kelly Foy has been appointed to the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons. Ms Foy is the daughter of Irish emigrants.
The NI Assembly has agreed arrangements to ensure key business continues during July and August. MLAs will sit week commencing 6 July and a decision will be made on 7 July on holding further plenary sittings that month. While the Assembly will formally rise for recess in August, the Speaker will remain in frequent contact with the Executive to make the necessary arrangements for additional sittings if required.
The Department for Communities’ £15.5m Covid-19 Charities Fund will be launched on Monday 15 June.
Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson is to submit a Private Members’ Bill in the NI Assembly which will strengthen the ability of trade unions to take industrial action and “represent the needs of workers”. The bill aims to remove the restriction on statutory trade union recognition in companies with fewer than 21 employees.
Government formation talks in the Republic continue. RTÉ News Political Correspondent Mícheál Lehane reported this week that the Dáil will not sit on Thursday next week. Instead, this time will be used to focus on presenting a draft Programme for Government to Fine Gael’s, Fianna Fáil’s and the Greens’ party memberships. However, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has faced calls to resign after using a racial slur in the Dáil on Thursday.
Education Minister Peter Weir MLA has set a target date of Monday 17 August for some pupils to return to school.
Economy Minister Diane Dodds MLA will brief the Assembly’s Economy Committee at 10am on Wednesday 17 June. The Finance Committee will consider a written joint statement from NILGA and SOLACE NI on Wednesday 17 June at 12.30pm.
Question Time in the Assembly returns next week. Questions to the Executive Office and the DAERA Minister will take place on Tuesday 16 June.
The Department for the Economy’s NI Micro-business Hardship Fund closes for applications at 6pm this evening.
The Northern Ireland Local Government Association will hold its AGM on Thursday 18 June.
The seventh annual BelTech Conference will go online between Monday 22 June and Thursday 25 June this year. Attendance is free but those who would like to attend must register at www.beltech.co
Other Stories this week
The current R number for Northern Ireland is estimated as being between 0.5 and 0.9. Since Monday, there has only been one death from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Chief Executive Jacqui Dixon has been named SOLACE NI Chair for the 2020/21.
Health Minister Robin Swann MLA has published a strategic framework for rebuilding Northern Ireland’s health and social care service in the wake of the first wave of the pandemic. The five health trusts are to publish plans for tackling waiting lists, providing high-priority cancer services and dealing with other urgent conditions. Please see attached a briefing on the framework.
The Minister also awarded the Encompass contract to Epic Systems this week. Part of a £300m ICT investment over 10 years, it is a major step towards a fully integrated electronic health and social care record systems.
A BBC Spotlight investigation has revealed that Health Minister Swann decided not to make public the best-case scenario laid out in pandemic modelling.
Sinn Féin launched its ‘Economic Strategy: Principles for Recovery’ document this week, which aims “to create a fairer, greener, healthier economy”. Read the document here.
Belfast City Councillors rejected a motion to hold virtual meetings and suspend the July holidays this week.
Applications to Northern Ireland’s six further education colleges are down by up to 40% in some areas, the colleges told Stormont’s Economy Committee this week.
The process to appoint a full-time commissioner for victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse has opened this week.
Tony Danker has been announced as the new CBI Director General, replacing Dame Carolyn Fairbairn.
Figures released this week show that over 200,000 workers in Northern Ireland have been furloughed during the pandemic.
The economic damage of the coronavirus crisis will hit young workers hardest, an Ulster University study has suggested. It estimates that youth unemployment in NI could jump from 8% to 26% in 2020.
Consultations
Consultation on Further Education Support and Charging Policy at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) DAERA. Deadline 11 September.
Consultation on Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Department for the Economy. TBC.