Brown O'Connor Communications Weekly Look Ahead: Week Commencing 28 June 2021

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Forward Look

  • The DUP electoral college will meet tomorrow to formally elect Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson as DUP Leader Designate. Party officers will then arrange a meeting of the central executive committee to ratify the election. The Belfast Telegraph is reporting that former DUP MLA Brenda Hale is the favourite to run in any future Lagan Valley by-election.

  • The Executive will meet on Thursday to ratify a series of relaxations to Covid-19 regulations with the indicative date of 5 July. These include the return of conferences and exhibitions; reopening of seated theatres and concert halls; return of live music at ambient levels to licensed and unlicensed premises and the return of live music and dancing without restriction at outdoor events.

  • Finance Minister Conor Murphy MLA has allocated over £220m as part of the June monitoring round, including: £66m for Health, over £30m of which is to tackle waiting lists and £17.7m for pharmaceutical pressures; £35m to support children with SEN and £19m for the Victims Payment Scheme.

  • Health Minister Robin Swann MLA will introduce a bill for soft opt-out organ donation to the Assembly following agreement with the DUP and Executive approval.

  • Justice Minister Naomi Long MLA’s Justice (Sex Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill will be introduced to the NI Assembly ahead of the summer recess following Executive approval on Thursday.

  • DAERA Minister Edwin Poots MLA intends to bring his draft Climate Change Bill before the Assembly in this mandate following Executive agreement, meaning two alternative Climate Change Bills will be passing through the Assembly. The Department’s 2021-22 Business Plan, including an overarching Environment Strategy to be published this year, was released this week: LINK.

  • The appointment of a chair to the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Public Inquiry will be announced next week, Department of Health officials have indicated.

  • Question Time will take place for The Executive Office and Economy Minister on Monday. The Education Minister will answer questions on Tuesday.

  • The Final Stage of the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill will take place on Tuesday. The Second Stage of the Charities Bill will also take place on Tuesday.

  • Junior Ministers Gary Middleton MLA and Declan Kearney MLA will brief The Executive Office Committee on Brexit on Wednesday. The Finance Committee will hear from trade and customs experts on the NI Protocol.

  • Hospitality Ulster, Sport NI and the Arts Council will brief the Communities Committee on Thursday on post-Covid recovery. The Health Committee will consider the HSC Bill and will also receive a Departmental briefing on Brexit.

  • Publishing the consultation analysis report on a draft Mental Health Strategy, Health Minister Robin Swann MLA has indicated he will publish the full Mental Health Strategy in Summer 2021.

  • An international certification scheme for vaccines will go live in Northern Ireland on or before 19 July. It comes as several countries were added to the green list for travel including the Balearic Islands, Madeira, Malta and Barbados.

  • The MIT Technology Review conference EmTech Europe will take place in Belfast on Thursday and Friday 1-2 July. Broadcast live from Titanic Belfast, the virtual event will unite the world’s leading voices on health-tech, sustainability and artificial intelligence. To register: LINK

Other Stories this week

  • The first British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in over two years took place at Dublin Castle on Thursday, Chaired by NI Secretary Brandon Lewis and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney. A ‘process of intensive engagement’ on legacy matters was agreed.

  • MPs have debated the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill during its second reading in the House of Commons. The Bill, which makes provisions on Ministerial appointments, extraordinary Assembly elections, petitions of concern and the Ministerial Code of Conduct in Northern Ireland has progressed to a Public Bill Committee for scrutiny.

  • The HSC Business Services Organisation has published its annual General Pharmaceutical Service Statistics, highlighting that Community Pharmacies dispensed over 99% of items in 2021, some 78,000 for each pharmacy on average.

  • Health Minister Robin Swann MLA has published a three-year blueprint recovery plan for cancer services. Care will be focused on clinical priority and equality of waiting across Northern Ireland. View the plan: LINK.

  • The Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) has launched a co-design process to allow victims and survivors of Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses in Northern Ireland to help develop support and services. For further information: LINK.

  • Economy Minister Paul Frew MLA has announced a £4.5m NI Domestic Aviation Kickstart Scheme (NIDAKS) to enhance connectivity with the rest of the UK. For further information: LINK.

  • Belfast News Letter Editor Alistair Bushe has been appointed Senior Editor (Ireland) of Reach Plc and the Daily Mirror in Northern Ireland.

  • Head of BT in Northern Ireland Paul Murnaghan has succeeded Henry Brothers Director Ian Henry as president of the NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

  • President Joe Biden has named Massachusetts representative and senior Democratic lawmaker Claire Cronin as the next US ambassador to Ireland, subject to approval by the Senate foreign relations committee.

Upcoming key political and business events

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Brown O’Connor Communications provides fast, accurate and relevant political monitoring and research services for the public, private and non-profit sectors. We can help you track the latest developments in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Local NI Councils, Westminster and the Oireachtas. To find out more, please get in touch at arlene@brownoconnor.com or chris@brownoconnor.com.