Brown O'Connor Communications Weekly Look Ahead: Week Commencing 23 August 2021

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Forward Look

  • The First and deputy First Ministers have said that the Executive is “ready to do what it can” to help Afghan refugees. A further announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

  • The Department of Health is holding its ‘Big Jab Weekend’ to give people even more opportunities to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The promotion, which will end on Sunday will see Northern Ireland’s mass vaccination centres offer walk-in first jabs.

  • Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Ian Young told the Health Committee he expects Covid-19 case numbers “will peak within the next week” while he also predicts there will be a further increase once schools, colleges, and universities return.

  • Pam Cameron MLA outlined that the first tranche of cards as part of the High Street Voucher Scheme is to roll out in mid-September with a further four tranches expected after.

  • The Financial Times has reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to delay a much-awaited Cabinet reshuffle until after COP26 and the worst of the pandemic is over.

  • Sinn Féin MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Aine Murphy, announced that it is her intention to introduce a Private Members Bill to the Assembly in the Autumn to ban fracking.

  • The Irish News has reported that local political parties are preparing to hold annual conferences in the autumn. The UUP will host its conference on 8 and 9 October at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Sinn Féin is expected to hold its Ard Fheis in Dublin at the end of October while the SDLP is expected to hold its in Derry in the same month.

  • The Government published its UK hydrogen strategy, which sets outs its approach to developing a low carbon sector in the UK to meet their ambition for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. Link to strategy: HERE

  • The Department of Health has reminded stakeholders to respond to the Public Consultation on the introduction of a statutory Duty of Candour in Northern Ireland. The consultation deadline is on 31 August. For more information: LINK

  • A Belfast City Council Brexit Committee heard this week that port infrastructure in Belfast that is required for NI Protocol checks will not be in place until 2023. Councillors were told that hiring new port staff will be ‘challenging’.

  • The Economy Committee will meet next Wednesday to receive a Departmental update on the High Street Voucher Scheme.

  • The Centre for Cross Border Studies will hold its 22nd Annual Conference on 24 September. To register attendance: LINK

  • Tickets are now available for the Docs Ireland film festival, running from 25 to 29 August. View the film schedule and get tickets here: LINK.

 

Other Stories this week

  • Labour market statistics published this week by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency showed that the number of proposed redundances in July has been the highest of 2021.

  • House prices in Northern Ireland are 9% higher than the same period last year, according to official figures. It is the biggest annual rise since 2007 and the biggest quarterly increase since 2016.

  • The Flagship Centre in Bangor, County Down, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to developers Brookland Property.

  • The Department of Health released details of the NI Health and Social Care Workforce Census as on 31 March 2021. To view the report: LINK

  • Jude Webber is the new Financial Times Ireland correspondent replacing Laura Noonan. She was previously the Mexico and Central America correspondent for the paper.

  • Education Minister Michelle McIlveen MLA published revised Covid guidance setting out how schools and educational settings should plan for the next academic year. The guidance can be read here: LINK

  • Ciaran O’Neill announced he is joining the Sunday Independent. He was previously the manging editor of Derry News and Derry Now.

  • The total value of imports from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland jumped by more than three quarters in the first six months since Brexit compared to the same period last year, according to new data from the Republic’s Central Statistics Office.