Brown O'Connor Communications Weekly Look Ahead: Week Commencing 4 April 2022

Forward Look                                

  • The final Lucid Talk-Belfast Telegraph poll of the parties before the Assembly Election has placed Sinn Féin on course to be the largest party on 26%, followed by the DUP (19%), Alliance (16%), the UUP (13%) and the SDLP (11%).

  • Following the dissolution of the NI Assembly on Monday, the Electoral Office will publish a full list of election candidates next Friday.

  • Parliament has risen for Easter recess and will next sit on Tuesday 19 April.

  • The next meeting of Belfast City Council will take place on Monday.

  • Secretary of State for NI Brandon Lewis MP has confirmed that a cultural package, including an Irish Language Act, will not be introduced before the Assembly Election.

  • Bidding for the second round of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund is now open. The Fund’s three strategic investment themes are local transport, high street regeneration, and cultural heritage.

  • According to the Financial Times, the UK Government is open to considering the creation of Joint First Ministers in Northern Ireland as part of a move to improve the stability of the political institutions.

  • The Department for Infrastructure’s latest planning statistics have revealed significant delays are continuing to hamper the progress of applications for local, major, and regionally significant projects.

  • The NI Chamber’s ‘5 Leaders, 5 Days’ series continues next week with addresses from Alliance leader Naomi Long on Monday and Sinn Féin Vice-President Michelle O’Neill on Tuesday. To attend: LINK.

  • The Belfast Chamber’s Business Awards will take place at the Grand Central Hotel next Friday.

Other Stories this week

  • The UUP has published its Assembly Election Manifesto, with policy commitments for each Executive department including a gradual reduction in Corporation Tax to 15%, a Skills Fund, and the establishment of a Health and Social Care Chief Executive. It can be viewed here: LINK

  • Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP has set out the DUP’s ‘5-Point Plan’ for the next Assembly mandate which will include policies to expand Northern Ireland’s apprenticeship programme, create new jobs in tech, and implement healthcare reforms.

  • The Health and Social Care Board ceased operating on Thursday, marking a key stage in the transformation of the health service in Northern Ireland.

  • The latest Economic Index statistics have shown the Northern Ireland economy grew by 1.2% in the final quarter of 2021 with economic output reaching its highest levels since 2008.

  • Northern Ireland’s SME sector has recorded a 4% rise in profits in the year leading up to February 2022.

Upcoming key political and business events

  • 28 March – 5 April, NI Chamber 5 Leaders 5 Days, Europa Hotel

  • 7 April, BelTech 2022

  • 8 April, Belfast Chamber Business Awards

  • 5 May, Northern Ireland Assembly Election

  • 10 May, State Opening of Parliament

  • 26 May, Belfast Telegraph Business Awards, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast

  • 30 June, Irish News Workplace and Employment Awards, Titanic Belfast

Consultations