agendaNi issue 108 by bmf business services

...informing Northern Ireland’s decision-makers

Changing lives for safer communities Probation Board for Northern Ireland’s Amanda Stewart DUP MP

CEO of the

Chief Planner

Gavin Robinson

Government of Jersey

Angus Kerr on

discusses Ukraine, the

Suzanne Wylie on her

planning for

Protocol and life at

new role and her

recovery and

Westminster

formative years in

growth

Belfast

Issue issue108 8 April/May Aug/Sep2022 11

Infrastructure and apprenticeship • •Public Carbon •TaxSkills • Special Reports: Health ICT affairs

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Digital

Events

12 04 08

Contents

Matters arising

Infrastructure 58

Infrastructure 2050: An investment strategy

Issues

Decarbonising transport

Chief Planner Angus Kerr on planning for

DUP MP Gavin Robinson on Westminster,

recovery and growth

Ukraine and the Protocol 12

Cover story: PBNI’s Amanda Stewart on changing lives for safer communities

Public affairs

Assessing fiscal devolution

P&O: A perfectly legal scandal

DAERA Permanent Secretary Anthony

Leading women: Jersey CEO Suzanne Wylie

Harbinson discusses environmental priorities

Political platform: Alex Easton MLA

Net zero carbon and the methane

NUJ’s Michelle Stanistreet on the principal

compromise

Skills and apprenticeship 46

Skills: A missing middle

Skills for a 10X economy

Apprenticeship expansion

Skills for a green economy

of protecting your source

May

Date for your diary!

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Digital

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Mark O’Donnell

Grainia Long

Deputy Secretary, Housing,

Chief Executive

Urban Regeneration and Local

Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Government Department for Communities

Michael McDonnell Chief Executive

Loma Wilson

Choice Housing

Director of Communities Radius Housing

Paul Taylor Innovation Coach

Gary Orr

Bromford

Group Chief Executive Abri and Greener Futures

Paul Isherwood

Partnership

Director of Asset Management Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Joanna McArdle Director

Jordan Buchanan

Barclays Bank

Chief Economist PropertyPal

Professor Paddy Gray OBE Professor of Housing

Nicola McCrudden

Ulster University

Chief Executive Officer Homeless Connect

Carol McTaggart Group Chief Executive

Paul Price

Clanmil Housing

Head of Housing Policy & Oversight Department for Communities

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agendaNi Issue 108 April/May 2022 Digital

Events

Print Editorial Owen McQuade, Managing Editor owen.mcquade@agendani.com

A critical juncture… Somewhat ironically, Northern Ireland’s busiest end to an Assembly mandate in many years coincided with the absence of a functioning Executive.

David Whelan, Editor david.whelan@agendani.com

A culmination of months of Assembly scrutiny, across a widerange of legislation, concluded with the passage of five bills on 22 March. The progress of important legislation in the current mandate, not least Northern Ireland’s first climate bill, served to highlight that devolution can work, while at the same time begging the question of whether our current system of Executive power-sharing is fit for purpose.

Ciarán Galway ciaran.galway@agendani.com

In its 22-year lifespan, Stormont has been without a fullyfunctioning government for 35 per cent of that time.

Events

While legislative tinkering at Westminster to prevent all out collapse of the institutions meant that in this instance, the absence of an Executive did not deter much of the Assembly’s business, but it does have ramifications. Most notably, the failure to agree a multi-year budget, held up by many as critical to underpinning recovery and growth of the economy and addressing many of the long-standing challenges in relation to health, education, and infrastructure. The prospect of a quick Executive formation post-election looks bleak, firstly because it is unlikely that any significant changes will be made to the Northern Ireland Protocol, which the DUP are demanding, and secondly, because unionism has yet to declare whether it will accept another nationalist First Minister, if that is how the election pans out. The current system of governance in Northern Ireland appears to be on life support with actions post-election defining its future. The impact of the absence of budget agreement is laid out in our cover story with the Probation Board for Northern Ireland’s Amanda Stewart, where investment is required if services are to continue to alleviate pressures across a wide variety of areas, while the importance of long-term investment underpins much of the themes emerging in our featured infrastructure and skills and apprenticeship reports. David Whelan

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matters arising

H E A LT H

£1.5 billion needed for 10-year cancer strategy The Minister for Health Robin Swann MLA has unveiled a 10year cancer strategy for Northern Ireland pledging timely access to diagnosis, treatment, and care, as well as the opening of two rapid diagnosis centres in Whiteabbey and South Tyrone, which aim to treat their first patients later in 2022. The strategy contains 60 recommendations to be implemented over the next decade with the aim of preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer in a timely manner, as well as supporting patients to both live and die well with cancer. The funding plan published along with the strategy identifies the need for £2.3 million in the first year of the strategy and £145 million per annum once all actions are implemented. A one-off capital investment of £73 million is also said to be necessary. Cancer services in Northern Ireland have been historically underfunded and additional pandemic pressures are having a

detrimental impact on cancer care. From July to September 2021, every target set by the Department in relation to cancer waiting times was missed and over 600 people urgently referred by their GP for treatment of suspected cancer were not seen within the Department’s timeframe. Swann said: “The rapid diagnosis centres will be piloted at both the South Tyrone Hospital and the Whiteabbey Hospital and will enable patients from across Northern Ireland who have non-specific but concerning symptoms to get diagnosis support when they do not meet the criteria for red flag referral. Addressing the challenges currently facing cancer services in Northern Ireland, and implementing the strategic improvements greatly needed and so long sought for, is dependent on the availability of significantly increased and sustained funding.”

I N F R A S T RU C T U R E

Energy from waste planning refused An energy from waste plant that has been in the planning system for over a decade has once again been refused planning permission. Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said that the proposed £240 million plant in Mallusk, capable of thermally treating 300,000 tonnes of waste per annum, could discourage recycling. The controversial project originally had planning permission denied by Mallon’s SDLP colleague Mark H Durkan MLA, but successfully won an appeal in 2017 and had planning approved by Department for Infrastructure officials in the absence of a minister, a move that was then blocked by the High Court in 2018. Mallon pointed out that 5,000 complaints against the application had been submitted, while her department

agenda matters

said that 168 letters of support had been received. In a statement, the Minister said: “I am committed to climate action, and promoting recycling is an important aspect in that regard. This development could result in an increased market for waste disposal and to maintain a facility such as this, in addition to the other approved waste facilities, could discourage recycling. I am not persuaded that there is a need for this specific facility. In that context, I do not consider there to be any need for this proposal.” Arc21, a waste management body derived from a number of Northern Ireland councils, has disputed the Minister’s assertions, stating that there is a “clear need” for “new, modern waste infrastructure” and that the facility would improve recycling, reduce emissions and provide green electricity.

matters arising

E D U C AT I O N

Third report on advancing shared education presented to Assembly The Third report on Advancing Shared Education was presented to the Assembly in March 2022, covering the period April 2020 to March 2022. One of the major findings of the report surrounds the effect of Covid-19 on shared education programmes, with an 80 per cent reduction in the number of children and young people involved due to the suspension of face-to-face pupil contact. 87,385 students had been participating in June 2019, a figure which fell to 17,476 in June 2021. The impact of the pandemic has meant that some programmes have had extensions granted, such as both PEACE IV shared education programmes, as well as the Sharing from the Start partnerships, which will now run until June 2022 to allow existing partnerships to engage in three years of shared classes. The Delivering Social Change Shared Education Signature Project closed in June 2020, with partnerships involved now in a two-year

transition phase towards a “mainstreamed model of shared education”. Speaking upon receipt of the report, Minister for Education Michelle McIlveen MLA said: “Shared education provides vital opportunities for our children and young people to mix, learn and socialise with their peers across religious and socio-economic divides and can bring a range of educational, social, and economic benefits. Recognising the impact of Covid-19, rebuilding and enhancing participation levels will be one of a number of key areas of focus as we move forward to ensure that we can deliver on the NI Executive’s commitment, as outlined in the New Decade, New Approach agreement, that children and young people from different backgrounds should be able to learn together.”

E N V I RO N M E N T

Poots welcomes new OEP appointment Environment Minister Edwin Poots MLA has announced the appointment of Malcolm Beatty as a Northern Ireland non-executive member of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) on a five-year term from April 2022. The January 2020 New Decade, New Approach agreement included a commitment to establish an independent environmental protection agency (IEPA) but shortly after the deal, Poots, the new Environment Minister gave an indication that setting one up was not a priority for his department, instead preferring the extension of the remit of the Office of Environmental Protection (OEP), the UK’s new post-Brexit independent agency, to Northern Ireland. The OEP extended its remit to function in Northern Ireland in February 2022 following Assembly approval, and the Minister has now moved to put a Northern Ireland member in place.

Beatty, a Chartered Forester and Chartered Public Finance Accountant, was a long-time civil servant, who retired from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in 2018. He has previously held positions such as Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Northern Ireland Forest Service and NI Chief Plant Health Officer. Speaking upon his appointment of Beatty, he said: “I want to welcome Malcolm into this new role. He brings a depth of knowledge, skills and experience, not only in matters relating to the environment and the countryside, but also in governance, leadership and decision making. Malcolm will bring extensive knowledge and insight on Northern Ireland matters to the OEP board.”

agenda matters

matters arising

P U B L I C A F FA I R S

Eleven sitting MLAs departing political stage as Stormont mandate ends

Eleven sitting MLAs will not seek re-election as the 201722 mandate of the current Assembly comes to an end and Northern Ireland gears up for an election. One Alliance MLA, six DUP MLAs, two Sinn Féin MLAs, one SDLP MLA and one independent will, for a variety of reasons, not contest the seats they currently hold. Perhaps the least surprising of these MLAs is the DUP MLA Jim Wells, who had the whip withdrawn from him by his party after he had criticised the leadership, claiming that he had been promised a return to a ministership that had never materialised. Wells gained the title of father of the house in Stormont in 2017, being the longest serving MLA since his election in 1998. Five of his party colleagues will also end their time in Stormont as the

mandate, including party deputy leader Paula Bradley, who is leaving politics to care for her mother. Chris Lyttle of the Alliance Party has also announced his intention to step away from his East Belfast seat; he is joined in doing so by former Alliance leader, but now independent, Trevor Lunn. Stormont speaker Alex Maskey joins Lunn in retirement after a long career in frontline politics; his party colleague Emma Rogan will also not be seeking re-election after having failed to be selected to stand in South Down. Also vacating her seat in South Down is Sinéad Bradley of the SDLP, who has announced her intention to stand down.

JUSTICE

First Adult Restorative Justice Strategy announced Justice Minister Naomi Long MLA has announced Northern Ireland’s first ever Adult Restorative Justice Strategy, due to run from 2022 until 2027 and “developed with statutory, voluntary and community sector partners”. The stated aim for the plan is to “better meet the needs of, and provide redress for, the harm caused to victims of crime, and to provide a positive alternative to traditional justice responses when offending occurs”. The strategy “sets out a comprehensive and strategic approach to the use of restorative justice in all aspects and at all stages of the adult criminal justice system” and “examines what restorative justice is, how it has developed in Northern Ireland to date, and how it might be embedded as a key principle in our adult criminal justice system based on evidence of its positive impact here and in other jurisdictions”.

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Speaking on the launch of the strategy, Long said: “The use of restorative approaches in our youth justice system in Northern Ireland has long been a great success, but there has been no overarching strategic approach for its use in the adult system until now. A public consultation held in 2020 showed there was considerable support for the development of an Adult Strategy and my department has now delivered on this. Our vision is that the use of restorative justice becomes second nature across the criminal justice system. We know from experience both here and elsewhere that when delivered professionally and sensitively, the restorative approach can bring significant benefits for the victim of crime, for individuals who have offended, and for families and communities.”

matters arising

P U B L I C A F FA I R S

Five non-Executive bills pass on Assembly’s final day

Five non-Executive bills passed through the Stormont Assembly on the last day before the dissolvement of the Executive and the end of its 2017-22 schedule, including one of which was given accelerated passage. All five bills are now awaiting royal assent. The Preservation of Documents (Historical Institutions) Bill, brought forward by UUP MLA Alan Chambers, received accelerated passage. The Bill seeks to ensure the preservation of documents to resident institutions and their residents between the years 1922-1995, and to the children of some residents. The five bills were distributed across five parties, with one each from the SDLP, Sinn Féin, the UUP, the Green Party, and the Alliance Party.

The Hospital Parking Charges Bill, introduced by Sinn Féin’s Fra McCann but now transferred to Aisling Reilly MLA, prohibits charging for car parking at Health and Social Care hospitals; the Period Products (Free Provision) Bill, introduced by SDLP MLA Pat Catney, secures the provision of free period products; Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle’s Fair Employment (School Teachers) Bill removes the exception for school teachers from the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998; and Green Party MLA Rachel Woods’s Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill provides an entitlement to paid safe leave for victims of domestic abuse.

agenda matters

issues agenda

Gavin Robinson MP: ‘We didn’t Brexit’

DUP MP Gavin Robinson talks to David Whelan about his role on the UK’s defence committee in the context of the invasion of Ukraine, his outlook on Stormont and his concerns with the Protocol. East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson has never sought election to the Northern Ireland Assembly and yet he sees Stormont as “much more locally connected, much more relevant and of much greater import” than Westminster. Robinson acknowledges that there is some within unionism losing faith in Stormont but emphasises that it is not a mindset that he shares, describing it as an “incredibly important political construct”. “I truly place a value on Stormont working,” he explains. “It is my view that Stormont needs to work and that all 8

agenda issues

sections of Northern Ireland’s community need to feel not only that they are part of the place but that their voices matter and that they can effect change.” To this end, the MP does not rule out involvement in Stormont politics in the future. However at present, he is focused on his current role. Robinson’s political career is now in its second decade, having served on Belfast City Council from 2010 to 2015, including as Lord Mayor, before election to Westminster in 2015, a feat he has repeated a further two times. A typical working week for Robinson

would see him travel to Westminster for parliamentary business on a Monday and typically stay until Thursday, where he would return to work in the constituency. However, with the business schedule only set on the previous Thursday, the MP’s schedule is often subject to change. He admits that being a parliamentarian can be difficult on family life. As a married father of one, he places great emphasis on time at home but admits that his schedule is often congested. “Being at home often means being located in Belfast,” he says. “It doesn’t make family life easy, and the truth is that when you are back in your constituency it

issues agenda

Credit: DUP photos

often means meetings in the evening beyond the working day and into the weekend.” Despite the challenges, Robinson takes great pride in being the sole Westminster representative for Belfast East and sustaining that position for the past seven years. “Being a parliamentarian, representing a constituency is a wonderful thing to be able to do,” he states. In his three terms at Westminster, Robinson has experienced dramatic shifts in the political landscape. Less than two years after entering parliament, he faced fresh elections, the outcome of which catapulted the DUP into partnership with the Conservative Government, with a confidence and supply deal that allowed government to sustain a working majority. In 2019, the Conservatives regained a strong majority, relegating the DUP back to opposition, but within months any hopes of stability were spurned by the outbreak of the pandemic. Although he has served on Westminster’s defence committee for six years, Robinson’s role as the shadow DUP spokesperson on both defence and home affairs has been elevated in recent months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Highlighting the committee’s role to scrutinise government and hold it to account, rather than take decisions, he believes that the committee’s role has never been so important. Prior to the invasion, Robinson’s role on the committee oscillated between ensuring implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant in Northern Ireland and securing support for the defence industry, a large swath of which exists in his constituency. The MP suggests that support for the industry goes beyond his constituency, highlighting its importance for Northern Ireland as a whole. A total of 27 companies in east Belfast are members of the Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space group (ADS) and Robinson has advocated that spending on defence should be a priority in the UK Government’s levelling up agenda, suggesting that the £2,500 per person spend on defence in the south east of England compared to the £30 per person

Arlene Foster, Peter Robinson, Nigel Dodds and Gavin Robinson at the George Belfast City Airport in 2015.

spend in Northern Ireland shows great scope for growth. In January 2022, prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Robinson told the House of Commons that he felt the Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace MP’s statement that, as Ukraine was not a member of NATO, the UK would not be putting troops on the ground if an invasion was launched, was an “incredible vulnerability” for the people of Ukraine. “At such an early stage, being as open as suggesting that no matter what you [Russian President Vladimir Putin] do, we will not react, we will not commit to providing a repellent force, I thought that was a vulnerability,” the MP states. Robinson believes that the early setting out of the UK’s position was a mistake. He says that the committee has been previously briefed that, following responses to events such as the Salisbury poisonings, “there are literally no sanctions left for our government to take that won’t harm our economy”. Robinson believes there has been an unwillingness for decades across UK governments to shut down “dirty money” in London from volatile states and actors. Despite this, he has stopped short of advocating for the UK to deploy troops on the ground in defence of Ukraine. “I don’t think it is a simple conundrum,” he says. “I haven’t advocated for it and similarly, I haven’t gone so far as to say we should implement a no-fly zone because I see the real-world consequences of that.

Emotionally it feels right but I don’t think Vladimir Putin operates in structured norms. You can see from the indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations that he is unlikely to meet force with equivalent force and so I don’t think you could be in a comfortable place to say we can go in and sort this out without wider consequences.”

The DUP Robinson sits on the DUP’s officer team. His name was mooted for potential leadership of the party following the upheaval of Arlene Foster, but he contends that he himself never placed his name there. He is on record stating that he did not believe the removal of Foster happened in a “fair or honourable” way and admits that it was an “uncomfortable time” for the party. “Sadly, some of that played out in the public sphere and that is not great but that was then, and this is now. Following Edwin’s [Poots] short tenure you had almost unanimous endorsement of Jeffrey Donaldson three weeks later and that is the basis on which we have been moving forward. Our officer team, our parliamentary party, our Assembly group, and our membership all recognise that we have a job of work to do and that that task and selection is much more important than any one of us.” In March 2022, the party’s deputy leader, selected at the same time as Poots, announced that she will not seek reelection to Stormont in May due to family

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“This is not the best of both worlds at all. What we see in Northern Ireland, and it can only get worse unless the Protocol changes, is a loss of choice, an increase of costs or, as has happened in some cases, withdrawal from the market entirely. We have seen companies just refuse to send products from one part of our country to another.”

A young Gavin Robinson addressing the DUP annual conference.

reasons. Paula Bradley is set to continue her membership with the party and continue in the deputy leader role until at least the party’s AGM in June 2022.

party wants to see Stormont work but says that the Northern Ireland Protocol is “hampering Northern Ireland’s ambition and prospects”.

With the party’s leader indicating his intention to run in May’s Assembly election and return to Stormont, it is likely that the party will once again seek to split the leadership roles between Westminster and Stormont. If Robinson has any intention of seeking the deputy leader post come June, he gives no indication of it, instead expressing his disappointment but understanding at the electoral loss of Bradley, who he says was “a breath of fresh air” in many contributions and conversations.

“It is not working for us and with the way it is structured, it cannot work in the long term either. What we have at the moment doesn’t even scratch the surface in the sense that many of the propositions have been side-lined for grace periods and are not being fully implemented at this stage.”

On whether Donaldson’s switch to Stormont, if indeed it does happen, would change the dynamic of the party’s current parliamentary party at Westminster, Robinson says: “Jeffrey has been a parliamentarian for the past 25 years and he is a big part of our operation and parliamentary leader since 2019. He has built relationships, maintained relationships, and used them productively for the benefit of our province, and so, that will be a change, but that sort of change is not unique to us. That happens in politics.”

Protocol With the First Minister Paul Givan MLA’s resignation in February 2021 partially paralysing the full functions of Stormont, there remains a question over whether even post-election the DUP will return to the institutions. Robinson is adamant the

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Asked whether the absence of agreement to alter the Protocol between the UK and the EU prior to the Assembly’s expected return would see his party refuse to nominate for the post of First or deputy First Minister, he says: “The Protocol is impinging on all aspects of the political settlement we have in Northern Ireland. The north-south element is not working, and the Protocol drives a huge wedge down east-west relations as set out within the Good Friday Agreement. As a consequence, our political institutions are not operating as they should and unless there is a realistic approach on dealing with the Protocol, I don’t see how they will function successfully.” Robinson believes that progress has been made over the past year, pointing out that “no one is talking about rigorous implementation anymore” and that the EU is engaged in negotiation. However, he rejects any suggestions that Northern Ireland’s unique position presents a ‘best of both worlds’ opportunity and instead believes that Northern Ireland’s market access to its main trading bloc is being impaired.

Reminded that his party campaigned for Brexit during the referendum and held significant sway with the UK Government for two crucial years of Brexit negotiations, Robinson says: “How tiring is it that when we are all suffering under the cosh of the Protocol, that people say, ‘ah well, sure isn’t it your fault?’. No, it did not have to be this way. It did not have to be a situation where Northern Ireland was cut off from its main market.” Suggesting that the outworkings of the Protocol means that Northern Ireland “didn’t Brexit”, the MP laments: “We have been left behind in a situation where we have no democratic or legislative involvement in the rules that apply to us.” In summer 2021, the UK Government published a White Paper in which it suggested the conditions had been met to trigger Article 16, a mechanism within the Protocol allowing either party to undertake unilateral safeguarding measures if the protocol leads to “serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade”. Despite the DUP consistently calling for Article 16 to be triggered, to date the UK has failed to do so. The prospect of action by the UK prior to May’s Assembly election looks to have been stood down, as global relations focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In this context, asked whether he still advocates for the triggering, Robinson concludes: “The position on the conditions being met have not changed. What is happening in Ukraine and the need for a level of unity across the continent of Europe is important but unless and until issues are met with a level of pragmatism by the European Commission and a resolution found, then it has to remain an option.”

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Changing lives for safer communities Newly appointed Chief Executive for the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI), Amanda Stewart, discusses the role of probation in reducing reoffending, reducing the number of victims and changing lives for safer communities.

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Although only newly in post since October 2021, new Chief Executive of PBNI, Amanda Stewart, is no stranger to the services the organisation provides, having interacted with PBNI at various parts of her long-standing justice career. Having graduated with a degree in community youth work, Stewart’s early career as a youth worker in Belfast enabled a move to the Police Authority and then the Policing Board, at a time when the Patten Report had made wide ranging reforms to policing. Working for the Policing Board from its inception, her experiences spanned various areas, including policing in the community, eventually rising to lead the organisation as Chief Executive. The newly appointed Chief Executive, who attests to having community work “in my heart” admits to enviously looking on at the Probation Board in the past, believing they have an ethos of being a community-based organisation, working in partnerships to deliver for service users. “When the opportunity to lead PBNI came up, I felt like I was going back to my core,” she explains. Alongside working in communities, supervising sentences that must be served in the community, PBNI also work in courts providing pre-sentence reports that assist judges to make decisions; in prisons, preparing prisoners for release subject to licenses; and directly with victims of crime through the Victim Information Scheme. Stewart explains that partnership working is critical to effective service delivery. “Everything that we do has a knock-on effect to other parts of the justice sector. For example, if we were to scale back some of our work in communities, the result could be a greater number of people going to prison. A large part of my role is ensuring that whatever we do as an organisation, we are involving and bringing along those other parts of the justice system.” Currently PBNI deal with around 4,200 cases on any given day, the majority of which are in the community. As Stewart explains, no one size fits all in terms of service delivery and so, vitally, every probation officer of PBNI is social work

qualified, professionally trained in the assessment and management of risk. The ability of PBNI staff to tailor services to meet individual need and ultimately provide better outcomes for both the service user and reduce risk to the local community is critical. Stewart believes that this was emphasised by the pandemic.

Covid-19 Around three quarters of all PBNI service users experience addiction and mental health issues, problems that were

and rising domestic costs. “We know from past experience and trends that desperation drives bad decision making. That we are likely moving into economic recession not only emphasises the importance of our work within the community with service users but also our programmes around early intervention and driving behavioural change.” Stewart stresses that continuing to deliver for service users and for staff will be made more difficult by a squeeze on resources. “Stormont’s current inability

“We know from past experience and trends that desperation drives bad decision making.” compounded by the pandemic and effect of lockdowns. “If Covid taught us anything it was about the value of relationships with our service users,” she says. “Having met with a range of service users since taking up post, one of the things that I am most proud of is the feedback that our staff continued to support them in the toughest of times.” The Chief Executive explains that as an organisation, PBNI were pre-emptive in their approach to lockdowns, recognising the challenges that a move away from business-as-usual would bring and introduced a hybrid model very swiftly, prioritising the most vulnerable and those most in need of face-to-face contact. Additionally, the organisation prioritised their service delivery on domestic abuse and child protection, recognising the likely increase in highrisk cases. Having experienced a short-term reduction in workload, mainly in relation to court work due to an initial reduction in hearings, she says that not only has the volume of work returned but that she predicts a rise in service users, related to the economic fallout of the pandemic

to secure a multi-annual budget impacts on our ability to plan ahead and maintain momentum in service delivery.” The Chief Executive believes that PBNI’s evidence given to the Assembly’s Justice Committee prior to the draft budget consultation, emphasising the critical role the organisation plays right across the sector landed with politicians and she remains hopeful ahead of any agreed budget allocation. She adds: “We also took the opportunity to emphasise that our reach and our impact goes beyond justice. Rightly so, the Executive has outlined its intention to prioritise health in any agreed budget, but it is important to stress that delivery of health outcomes do not rest solely with the Department of Health. “The assessments, interventions, and programmes that we provide, aiming to tackle offending related issues such as addiction, mental health, and domestic abuse, much of which is carried out in partnership with community and voluntary groups, feeds into creating a better health system and needs to be adequately resourced.”

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“A critical part of our corporate plan will be around the prioritisation of services, for which we have already benchmarked our greatest impact.” Although advocating for adequate resources, Stewart is aware that all public sector service deliverers face challenging times. To this end, she outlines that service prioritisation will be a critical feature of the organisation’s new and soon to be consulted on threeyear corporate plan. “As an organisation we have always strived to deliver all of our expansive range of services to a platinum standard, but the reality is that as we experience an increase in volume and complexity of cases, coupled with the challenges of less resource, we run the risk of spreading ourselves too thin. A critical part of our corporate plan will be around the prioritisation of services, for which we have already benchmarked our greatest impact, and ensuring that we continue with our mission of working with communities to change lives.”

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The Chief Executive says that the corporate plan will also seek to build on the prevalence of a greater willingness for collaboration across the public sector. “If Covid-19 had one silver lining it was that as a public sector, we showed ourselves to be resilient, resourceful, and adaptable to change in delivering services. Change occurred quickly in areas where it was assumed delivery at pace was not possible and it is important that now that people have seen the benefits of true collaborative delivery that we keep that momentum and continue to apply the same rigour, resilience and even risk appetite to service delivery going forward.” Alongside their external work, she understands the need for PBNI to support its own staff. Outlining her understanding that the effort shown by staff to deliver services throughout the pandemic has taken its toll, she sees

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value in being able to re-evaluate and reset many of the principles that underscore the organisation’s culture. “As an organisation with social work values we dedicate much of our focus to service users, but I think it is important that we reflect that kindness and empathy internally as well. Our staff have always had to be resilient when you consider the work that they do, some of which can be quite harrowing, and that intensified over the pandemic as we asked people to make their home an extension of our office. That has repercussions and I think going forward I want to ensure that staff feel adequately supported and that we continue to engage with our staff in our decision-making, ensuring that we bring them along.” Stewart believes that a crucial element to ensuring staff feel valued is achieving pay modernisation, something she has set out as one of her short-term goals for 2022. Currently social workers in the justice sector operate on what the Chief Executive describes as an “antiquated pay scale”, meaning that progress up the pay scale happens at a much slower pace than with their counterparts in other sectors. “If I talk about valuing staff, it is critical that they feel valued in terms of their pay,” she states. Discussing the challenges associated with this, she explains that the sector is struggling to retain qualified staff, even those who wish to stay, at a time when Northern Ireland is experiencing a shortage of social workers. “The impact is far greater than numbers,” she states. “We are losing experienced staff who have experience of managing high levels of risk. Currently we have around 50 per cent of our staff with less than five years’ experience. Undoubtedly, that presents an opportunity for us to modernise and develop emerging skills, but we also have to ensure there is a balance of experience and equitable pay is a big factor in overcoming that retention challenge.”

Community board Overseeing PBNI’s plans for the future will be a newly constituted, 13-member community-based board, which met for the first time in March. The Chief Executive

“Covid-19 has shown us that through collaborative working, we can drive change across the justice sector for the betterment of communities.” Officer believes that independent delivery of accountability, oversight, and strategic thinking is an essential element in achieving confidence from local communities. “Having worked with boards for most of my professional life, I fully appreciate the value a board can bring to an organisation. A good board is a critical friend but they’re also an advocate for the organisation in the community. I have no doubt that those who are leaving their term on the board and who have supported PBNI throughout will continue to do so, and I welcome the new board members, who will bring with them a fresh perspective and new innovation.” Concluding with her ambitions for PBNI

with her at the helm, Stewart hopes to continue to make progress on achieving a greater understanding of the work and impact of probation within the community, believing that a greater understanding will improve confidence in their service delivery and its many benefits. She adds: “Covid-19 has shown us that through collaborative working, we can drive change across the justice sector for the betterment of communities. We are an ambitious organisation and undoubtedly, there is much work to do in the coming years but even in change, we will continue to retain our core mission to change lives for safer communities.”

PR OF IL E :

Amanda Stewart As Chief Executive of the Probation Board, Amanda Stewart is the Accounting Officer and responsible for the day-to-day delivery of all probation services. Previously, she worked for the Policing Board since its inception and has a wide range of experience across the Board’s responsibilities, including policing with the community, partnership and engagement, policy, human rights and police pensions and administration. Beginning her career as a Youth Worker with the Belfast Education and Library Board, Amanda holds a BSC (Hons) Degree in Community Youth Work from the University of Ulster and a master’s in education and contemporary society.

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‘Partial’ tax devolution to be considered A partial devolution of income tax to the Northern Ireland Executive would avoid “disproportionate complexity” while still delivering new revenue raising methods, enable the reduction of citizen taxes and vary the progressivity of its tax system, the Fiscal Commission has recommended. Briefing the Finance Minister prior to the publication of its final report examining the Executive’s responsibility for tax and spending in May 2022, the Commission indicated that while Northern Ireland could benefit from the devolution of some tax powers, full powers over allowances such as the personal allowance and reliefs, as well as local administration of income tax, are not required “to reap the main benefits of devolution”. “Rather, partial devolution with powers

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over income tax rates and, potentially, bands would be effective in giving the Northern Ireland Assembly a major new way to raise revenues, reduce taxes for its citizens or vary the progressivity of its tax system,” says the Commission Chair Paul Johnson. “This is possible without the disproportionate complexity and the large administration and compliance burden that full devolution of such a big tax would bring.”

Fiscal Commission Chair, Paul Johnson.

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Rather than considering full fiscal devolution, under which Northern Ireland would then be responsible for funding all of its spending from its own revenues and a prospect deemed to be unfeasible given current levels of notional deficit, the Commission instead assessed the case for devolving powers over individual taxes. While the Executive has a high level of spending autonomy and controls most of the spending on public services, currently, its only significant revenue raising powers lie in regional rates, a property tax paid by businesses and households which raises less than £1 in every £20 of Northern Ireland tax revenue. The case for Northern Ireland to have greater devolution of tax powers has been long-standing in the context that the region is significantly poorer than the UK as a whole and amongst the bottom performing UK regions. Responsibility for tax raising also brings with it greater autonomy in spending decisions, allowing different degrees of redistribution to spur economic activity, which are currently not afforded through existing tax policies. However, countering this call has always been the risk associated with greater fiscal devolution. Around 90 per cent of the Executive’s public service spending is currently financed by the block grant, meaning those funds are not at risk of devolved policy. Allowing the budget to be determined by raised tax in Northern Ireland could bring with it increased volatility and even potentially a reduced budget if tax revenues grow slower than expected. In fact, the Fiscal Commission report demonstrates that such some degree of risk awareness is justified. Analysing the hypothetical scenario whereby Northern Ireland devolved income tax 20 years ago, the Commission highlights that the budget would have been favourably impacted in the early years, but then adversely affected by poorer income growth in Northern Ireland relative to the rest of the UK, following the financial crash. “While not a measure of what will happen in the future, this drives home the message that devolution comes with both risks and rewards,” states Johnson.

Largest revenue raising taxes in Northern Ireland VAT: £3.4 billion National insurance contributions: £3.1 billion Income tax: £3 billion Fuel duty: £864 million Corporation tax: £810 million Alcohol and tobacco duties: £774 million

However, while acknowledging that such a decision ultimately rests with politicians, and despite the associated risk, the Commission takes the view that “there is no reason in principle why a substantial fraction of current taxes could not be devolved”, but does stress that any taking on of additional powers should be done in a gradual fashion “to ensure administrative systems and the block grant adjustments essential to fiscal stability and sustainability are properly in place and functioning”.

Ultimately, it will be up to the next

The Commission’s final report is also set to include recommendations that any devolution of income tax should be accompanied by a devolution of the Apprenticeship Levy, given that policy responsibility for skills lies locally.

full advantage of more taxation powers

The Commission also confirmed a case for the full devolution of a number of smaller taxes, not least stamp duty land tax, air passenger duty and landfill tax.

Commission’s final report which will be

“We pointed out that, if these taxes are devolved, it is our view that the Executive should establish a local revenue authority to administer them. This will increase the accountability of local politicians in respect of these taxes and provide for greater policy flexibility and innovation, while also building institutional capacity,” explains Johnson.

comprehensively considered and taken

Executive to decide whether to pursue further devolution, once the Commission’s final report has been assessed, however, following the briefing Finance Minister Conor Murphy MLA welcomed the Commission’s recommendations. “If we are to realise the benefits of devolution it is important that the appropriate financial and administrative arrangements are in place. Getting the practicalities right is vital if we are to take and I’m glad that the Commission will consider these practicalities in more detail,” said Murphy. “I look forward to seeing the made available to the department and ministerial colleagues when it is published in May. At that point the report can be forward.” The Commission’s final report is expected to contain a detailed analysis of the various budgetary management tools and safeguards needed to ensure that the risks of fiscal devolution can be managed effectively.

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Priorities for the Northern Ireland environment

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Permanent Secretary, Anthony Harbinson, discusses progress on the four key pillars of the Executive’s approach to improving the environment.

Speaking at the beginning of 2022, Harbinson, who is soon to be replaced as the Department’s Permanent Secretary by Katrina Godfrey, highlighted that existing challenges to Northern Ireland’s environment had been made even greater by the pandemic. Acknowledging a changed public attitude and growing emphasis on improving the environment, Harbinson says that now more than ever it is critical to hear the voices of young people as “the generation that will inherit the environment we choose to leave them”. Pointing to the dual climate and biodiversity crisis as a key priority of the Executive since the New Decade, New Approach agreement in 2020, 18

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Harbinson says: “Our environment has never been higher on the political agenda.” As the Permanent Secretary explains, the Executive’s approach to improving the environment is built on four key pillars: •

green growth;

•

an Executive Climate Change Bill;

•

the Executive’s first Environment Strategy; and

•

future agricultural policy.

On green growth, Harbinson outlines that a Green Growth Strategy is set to be published by the Department in 2022, following the consultation

DAERA Permanent Secretary Anthony Harbinson

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closure on the draft strategy at the end of 2021. Describing the strategy as “an important milestone for Northern Ireland in the fight against climate change”, the Permanent Secretary sets out the context in which Northern Ireland finds itself lagging behind the rest of the UK in relation to emission reductions since 1990. Explaining that green growth means using the move from a high-to a low-emissions society to improve people’s quality of life through green jobs and a clean, resilient environment while ensuring that the region’s natural assets can deliver their full economic potential on a sustainable basis, Harbinson believes that the strategy will offer an opportunity to embed green growth principles into decisionmaking. Discussing the impetus being placed on imminent action within the Strategy’s 10 executive commitments, Harbinson points to the example of ministers committing to embed green growth into all decision making and ensuring that green growth is central to all policy and budgetary decisions by introducing a statutory green growth test and making green growth a budgetary priority. Additionally, he says that “walking the talk” is important and highlights Executive agreement to lead by example through delivering a government estate and fleet with net zero operational carbon emissions and ensuring a green growth aligned procurement strategy for all government spend. He adds: “The Strategy clearly highlights that to take the necessary decisions and actions, a collective approach will be required across central and local government, the private, voluntary and community sectors and all our citizens. The decisions we all make need to reflect the green growth principles and each and every one of us can and should use them as a point of reference when making decisions around how we live, work, move around and interact with each other.” Setting out green growth as an opportunity to “kick-start” Northern Ireland’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, Harbinson says delivery has already begun through the launch of

“The Strategy clearly highlights that to take the necessary decisions and actions, a collective approach will be required across central and local government, the private, voluntary and community sectors and all our citizens.” Forests for Our Future, a programme aimed at planting 18 million trees and creating 9,000 hectares of new woodland by 2030 and working with companies to address Northern Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Climate Change Bill Harbinson was speaking before the progress of the Agriculture Minister’s Climate Change Bill, which is now awaiting Royal Assent. The Minister’s Bill, which was supported by the Department, has been heavily distorted since its introduction, mainly due to heavy amendments to closer align the Bill to that of a now-withdrawn Private Member’s Bill, which sought a more ambitious greenhouse gas target and timeline. Describing the Minister’s Bill as “evidence-based” and science-led”, Harbinson says that it will “deliver the right balance of climate ambition while supporting a thriving local agricultural sector,” adding that “a regionally balanced

economy will boost our food security, prevent carbon leakage, and reduce our emissions”.

Environment Strategy Addressing the third pillar of environmental improvement, an environmental strategy, which has also just recently closed for consultation, Harbinson believes the strategy is one that will “set the direction of travel for the coming decades, providing us with focus and purpose, and is of real importance for all our futures”. Subject to the approval of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Department intends to adopt the Environment Strategy as Northern Ireland’s first Environmental Improvement Plan under the UK Environment Act 2021. “We want the new Environment Strategy to focus on results that will make a difference to the lives of people now, and in the future: it will cover critical areas including climate and biodiversity action,

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“We want the new Environment Strategy to focus on results that will make a difference to the lives of people now, and in the future.” sustainability, agriculture, our marine environment, our built environment, and natural capital. It will play a central role in improving our natural environment and people’s enjoyment of our environment for years to come,” he says. The draft Strategy sets out six strategic environmental outcomes which encompass the main environmental challenges in the coming decades and according to the Permanent Secretary, the objectives will form the basis of how Northern Ireland faces up to the challenges of improving its environment. Harbinson explains that sitting underneath the Environment Strategy is a number of other key strategies under development, including a revised Biodiversity Strategy, and a Peatlands Strategy. He adds: “Action is also needed for our seas to reach Good Environmental Status. Collaboration through the BritishIrish Council marine sub-groups and Interreg Va projects such as COMPASS, MarPAMM and SeaMonitor have provided excellent opportunities for cross border monitoring and management of the marine environment. The Department has consulted on management measures for fishing in Marine Protected Areas and intends to introduce regulations in the coming months.”

Agriculture Turning to the fourth pillar, future agriculture policy, Harbinson stresses that farming is a fundamental part of the fabric of Northern Ireland life and as such, is an essential and important contributor to the economy. In December 2021, Agriculture Minister

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Edwin Poots MLA launched a consultation on Future Agricultural Policy Proposals for Northern Ireland, which Harbinson says is a key policy in protecting the environment. “The resources associated with it will play a critical role in achieving the Department’s vision for a future agricultural regime that promotes productivity, resilience, environmental sustainability and a functioning supply chain,” he adds. Alongside financial support towards the uptake of low emission slurry spreading equipment and investment through the Farm Business Improvement scheme, Harbinson points to the Department’s development of a draft Ammonia Strategy to reduce ammonia and improve the condition of habitats and the opening of the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme.

Air quality Turning to efforts to address key local environmental challenges facing Northern Ireland, Harbinson points to the Department’s work to develop a Clean Air Strategy, following the launch of a discussion document in November 2020. In August 2021, DAERA and the Department of Health launched the revised joint High Air Pollution Alert Protocol, to ensure the public are alerted to high air pollution in Northern Ireland. Additionally, on the development of a circular economy, the Permanent Secretary outlines an ambitious recycling rate target of 65 per cent by 2035, ensuring no more than 10 per cent of waste goes to landfill by the same year. Northern Ireland’s recycling rate in 2020 hit 50 per cent, a significant uplift from the 10 per cent rate just a decade before. Harbinson says that key to achieving this

ambition will be addressing a “throw away culture” associated with plastics. New Decade, New Approach committed to the preparation of a plan to eliminate plastic pollution. Northern Ireland, with a population of just under two million, currently uses around 70 million single-use plastic drinks cups every year and around 150 million singleuse plastic food containers and Harbinson says: “That’s a major waste of resources, an unnecessary burden on our waste management infrastructure and, sadly, a blight on our environment for the portion that ends up being littered. “That’s why the Department has recently run a consultation on ways to reduce our consumption of single-use plastic cups and takeaway food containers. The results will be used to develop a plan for the best way to encourage changes in consumer behaviour to break our singleuse plastic habit.” In addition, the Department is implementing the UK-wide initiative of a Plastic Packaging Tax. From April 2022, a tax is levied on all plastic with less than 30 per cent recycled content, which the Permanent Secretary says will stimulate greater demand for recycled plastic and help to build the circular economy for plastics.

Office for Environmental Protection Harbinson says that the Department recognises that maintaining independent environmental scrutiny is an essential element of governance following the UK’s exit from the European Union and its associated oversight structures. The UK’s Environment Bill reached the statute book on 9 November 2021, establishing an independent oversight body in the form of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP). The environment is the only area in which a previous oversight role of the European Commission is being translated into domestic law, making the OEP a unique body. Following the approval from the Northern Ireland Assembly, the OEP is to become the environmental oversight body for Northern Ireland, which Harbinson says “is undoubtedly the best option we have at the current time”.

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A shared island: Mental health Despite an increase in awareness and a move towards de-stigmatisation of mental health issues, many people still find it “frustrating, difficult and sometimes even impossible” to access mental health supports on the island of Ireland. Additional efforts and resources will be needed to not only address the increased demand for mental health services as a result of the pandemic in Ireland but also to catch up in some areas where services were cut back as a result of lockdowns and restrictions, a report by the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) has found. The state-of-play review on mental health policy and practice, and on current and potential areas of co-operation on the island of Ireland, was developed as part 24

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of an overall comprehensive report on the shared island being developed by NESC on request of the Department of the Taoiseach. Understandably, the report sets out that health services in the two jurisdictions are facing many of the same problems around funding, staffing, and waiting lists. However, there are also areas where the context is different. For example, in 2018 Northern Ireland’s official suicide rate was 18.6 per cent per 100,000 population, compared to a 9 per cent rate in the

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Republic of Ireland in the same year. Highlighting that the legacy of the Troubles still has a significant impact on mental health in Northern Ireland, with mental health issues being most prevalent in deprived areas and areas affected by the violence, the report states: “The social determinants of health, such as income, education and employment status, play a big part in mental health, and this is particularly pronounced in Northern Ireland as a result of the conflict.” Both the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive have increased efforts to promote and support mental health services in the last number of years. In 2021, the Republic of Ireland launched a new policy for mental health in 2021, while Northern Ireland’s first mental health strategy funding plan was published earlier in the year. Over the last decade, the broader ambitions of the development of mental health services have been similar in both jurisdictions, through a move away from institutionalised and hospital-based services. Instead, the shift has been towards community-based services, early intervention, and preventative measures to avoid and alleviate mental health problems. This is despite some fundamental differences between the healthcare systems, with Northern Ireland’s free universal healthcare, compared to the mix of private and public charges services in the south. The report points to evidence of good collaboration in the mental health area between public, community, and voluntary stakeholders on an all-island or north-south basis but says that the potential to build on the knowledge and experience already in existence in these organisations, by providing them with consistent support to enable them to further develop and mainstream successful programmes. “Despite the existence of some structures of co-operation, the consensus seems to be that a more formalised setting or forum, dedicated to mental health cooperation, would be desirable,” report author Jenny Andersson states. “Many stakeholders said that it would help to place, and keep, mental health issues on the agenda, and that it could

“The pandemic illustrated the difficulties inherent in having two different public health responses in such close proximity.” be useful in ensuring consistent funding for mental health initiatives.”

Funding In Ireland, mental health services have shown an increase in both funding and service activity over the last decade but there has also been an increase in demand for mental health services. However, spending on mental health as part of the wider health budget remains comparatively low in both jurisdictions, with a figure of around 6 per cent for the Republic and the same for Northern Ireland. By comparison, in England that figure is 12 per cent. While the pandemic has pushed the issue of mental health and related services up the policy agenda, evidence of increased demand already exists but the full impact of the Covid crisis on mental health is not expected to be revealed for a number of years. Anxiety of the disease as well as curbs on social interaction, education and prolonged stress have all been identified in a range of issues potentially having a negative impact on mental health. The pandemic illustrated the difficulties inherent in having two different public health responses in such close proximity. “During the pandemic, both jurisdictions moved by necessity towards increased provision of online supports. While they are not suitable for every individual and situation, there does seem to be consensus around their many potential benefits, not least in increasing the reach of services to those that might be unable or reluctant to attend in-person services.

The main advantage of online supports in the particular context of north-south cooperation is, of course, that there are no physical borders inherent in these types of interventions,” Andersson says. In conclusion, the paper outlines a number of topics for further consideration, including: •

possible benefits from enhancing the level and range of settings for crossborder engagement between the two administrations, and in professional and clinical terms, on mental health co-operation;

•

how to ensure consistent funding and subsequent mainstreaming of successful cross-border and all-island projects;

•

the possible role of a Mental Health Champion in the Republic of Ireland, building on the experience in Northern Ireland;

•

improved and more standardised data collection on mental health, as a tool for comparing policy outcomes, and to help share learning and information;

•

how to build on and use the growth in online supports as a tool in crossborder co-operation; and

•

whether scope exists for more policy co-operation, and, given the public health aspect, whether there is potential for more co-operation around prevention and early intervention.

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Experience in transition Phoenix Energy Holdings’ Group Chairman, Peter Dixon, talks to agendaNi about building Northern Ireland’s gas industry from scratch over the last 25 years and how the company is well placed to meet the challenges associated with decarbonising the energy sector over the next 25 years. Reflecting to 25 years ago, when there was no gas industry in Northern Ireland, Dixon compares the creation of such a large and complex industry, using only private money, as equitable to the electrification of Northern Ireland in the 1950s or the railway building of the previous century. Twenty-five years on and Phoenix Natural Gas is one of the largest businesses in Northern Ireland, having built around 4,000km of gas network, making gas available to around 350,000 properties in doing so, with new connections averaging around 10,000 per year across that period.

The supply chain has developed to employ some 2,500 people locally and Dixon believes that the Phoenix story is “a great example of how you deliver public policy objectives with private sector money in a way that works for everyone”. On the daunting task of getting the industry off the ground, Dixon says: “Starting out, we never really stood back and considered how big the task was. Perhaps we were somewhat naive at the start but we got things moving forward by taking each challenge in turn and constantly innovating.” The Phoenix Group Chairman believes a

key element of the industry’s progress has been the development of the people in Phoenix and beyond. By this, Dixon points to inclusion of “the wider Phoenix family”, which stretches to over 450 independent companies that make up the natural gas sector and the importance of keeping the structures within the business flat, “maintaining excellent relationships with key stakeholders and fostering a collegiate culture with colleagues and the communities we serve alike.”

Decarbonisation: The big challenge Dixon believes that this approach positions the company well to tackle an issue that will dominate core business workstreams in the coming years and is of critical regional importance: the decarbonisation of the Northern Ireland economy.

“Our business plan, with several iterations over the years, has developed the industry we see today and it is still growing each year. Over this period, we have collaborated with a number of partners across several sectors. Looking to the next 25 years we will need to further expand our key stakeholder and partner relationships to reflect the increasingly broad reach of solutions and sectors that will be involved in the delivery of net zero outcomes.” Government also remains a key stakeholder for the decarbonisation journey, as it was when Phoenix and its partners were developing the gas industry. The introduction of natural gas to Northern Ireland remains a relatively inexpensive step in the decarbonisation journey with homeowners who convert to natural gas from oil or coal reducing their carbon footprint by up to 50 per cent as a consequence. The Northern Ireland gas industry now has a footprint right across the region, with an additional two distribution network operators contributing to an overall investment of over £1 billion to date, making gas available to around 550,000 homes and businesses with 320,000 of these already having made the move to the lower carbon fuel. However, across Northern Ireland there are still around 230,000 homes and businesses that have gas network available to them that remain using oil. Dixon sees this as “an easy, no-regrets move to get them onto natural gas and as well as reducing their carbon footprint immediately, creating a pathway for future full decarbonisation as the natural gas flowing into their homes and businesses is replaced by renewable gases in the future”.

“Our business plan now sees natural gas being progressively replaced by renewable gases. That also offers the opportunity to support the decarbonisation of additional sectors such as agriculture and transport.”

New technologies In developing innovative low and nocarbon solutions, such as biomethane and hydrogen, existing links to academia will continue to be important, providing opportunities for strengthened relationships with the likes of Queen’s University Belfast. Dixon believes that such collaborations will be vital in getting renewable gases into the Northern Ireland gas network. “Our business plan now sees natural gas being progressively replaced by renewable gases. That also offers the opportunity to support the decarbonisation of additional sectors such as agriculture and transport.”

The potential for biomethane production from Northern Ireland’s agriculture sector is significant, equivalent of up to 80 to 90 per cent of the networks current requirements.

also looking to new partners, particularly those that recognise the circular opportunities that hydrogen production provides to the resilience and affordability of an integrated energy system.”

Looking to new hydrogen technologies, Dixon says that: “We need to make the transition without a fuss. We will be relying on our existing partners who built the gas industry in Northern Ireland and

Dixon came to Northern Ireland in 1997 from British Gas, who at the time provided downstream services to energy users as well as core network responsibilities. However, in viewing the

“The new skills required for the next phase are really an extension of the skills that exist in the independent companies that currently install natural gas.” gas industry in Northern Ireland as an eco-system, he recognised that this approach would not fit correctly. “We didn’t want to do that. Northern Ireland has a rich resource of indigenous SMEs, often family-based businesses whose reputations are embedded within their communities, and we wanted to empower these local companies to embrace our wider ambitions, recognising the sense of ownership and efficiencies that this model would provide both then, and equally to the consumer facing considerations that decarbonisation will provide.” Phoenix is now talking to its existing partners about its future plans and how they can help the gas utility achieve its new goal of decarbonising the gas network by doing things like installing hydrogen-ready boilers. Dixon explains that they have “leapt at the opportunity”.

Investing in the future The Phoenix Group Chairman acknowledges that decarbonising the gas network will require significant investment but sees opportunity in parallel with the investment over the past 25 years. “For instance, there are now over 70 AD [anaerobic digestion] plants in Northern Ireland however we will need multiples of that investment to optimise the opportunities that exist to convert our rich waste streams into biomethane, that can in turn be injected into the gas network. Hydrogen production infrastructure will equally require a sizeable amount of investment to realise the much sought-after prize of an increasingly self-sufficient, sustainable net zero energy system. “That shouldn’t frighten Northern Ireland

plc. We have done it before, and we have demonstrated to external investors that Northern Ireland is a good place to do business.” The development of the gas industry has also been good for the wider regional economy. Indeed, without the arrival of natural gas, Dixon observes that many industries may have left Northern Ireland. A modern gas network also attracts new business investment with its reliable and flexible heating systems. Employing nearly 2,500 people, the sector brings obvious environmental, economic and social benefits and has benefited the health of all citizens by removing harmful particulates from the atmosphere. Dixon believes that the investment in natural gas infrastructure has provided the province with “a sustainable bridge to the future” ahead of the implementation of low and no carbon gas solutions in the future.

Skills for the future A key focus if Northern Ireland is to reach its decarbonisation ambitions centres on skills, with many recognising the urgency needed to develop skills now, for delivery in the future. Again, Dixon points to the past experience of Phoenix and its partners as an opportunity for learning in this regard. “There were no skills in Northern Ireland to design, apply, specify and install natural gas,” he says. “We went to all the training centres and helped them invest in getting ready to train people in those skills. At the same time, we linked up with the local colleges and companies to deliver conversion programmes. We set out to achieve installation costs similar to those in Great Britain. We didn’t want higher costs, often associated with the introduction of new technologies, hindering the take up of natural gas. “The new skills required for the next phase are really an extension of the skills that exist in the independent companies that currently install natural gas and leading boiler manufacturers have made significant progress on developing

“The availability of a modern gas network provides Northern Ireland with an enviable starting place from which to now progress to the next stage of energy transition, the displacement of natural gas with renewable gas solutions.”

hydrogen ready boiler solutions, which are being trialled in a number of largescale Great Britain trial projects and are anticipated to be available to the wider marketplace in the next couple of years.” Dixon is keen to emphasise that the changes required to decarbonise the gas network, particularly in the short and medium term can be achieved with minimal impact to energy users thanks to the modern polyethylene gas network that has been built locally. Biomethane lends itself to be injected into the existing network without any change for the end user and indeed, 20 per cent of hydrogen can be accommodated with minimal change to the existing system. “We need to keep the conversion process and how we inform customers very simple: 98 per cent of what installers and consumers do will still be the same,” he states. Biomethane injection is expected to start later this year, with two or three early adopters coming online and Dixon explains that injection at different parts of the network will support the emerging circular economy.

The Department for the Economy’s new energy strategy makes funding available for pilot projects. At present all the demonstration projects are in Great Britain and Dixon believes “it is now critically important that we establish demonstration and trial projects locally” so that Northern Ireland can develop hands on learning and shape a wider renewable gas supply chain that will in turn accelerate the decarbonisation of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland.

Transition Concluding on what success over the past 25 years means for Phoenix’s progress in the next quarter of a century, Dixon explains: “The availability of a modern gas network provides Northern Ireland with an enviable starting place from which to now progress to the next stage of energy transition, the displacement of natural gas with renewable gas solutions. In doing so the gas infrastructure can provide carbon zero solutions to a large cohort of homes and businesses locally, in a similar

manner to that which consumers enjoy today, supporting a decarbonisation solution that minimises cost and disruption and delivers a resilient energy system that is built upon the existing potential within Northern Ireland’s indigenous energy landscape. Dixon is confident that Phoenix’s legacy of attracting private investment to meet policy objectives provides a foundation for progress going forward. He is eager to point out that from a customer perspective, little will change as relationships with energy suppliers and network providers will have minimal disruption, while the average 15-20 year lifespan of a boiler lends itself to domestic infrastructure upgrades well before 2050. “Nothing will change except for the gas in the pipe which will come from increasingly renewable sources,” he states. “However, for net-zero to be achieved, we have much work to do. I believe Phoenix can build on its success and progress of the past 25 years to meet the challenge head on, however, we will not do it alone and as we move forward, we will seek to constantly broaden the Phoenix family as we seek to provide renewable gas solutions to customers for the next 25 years and beyond, in the most efficient way possible.”

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Net zero carbon: An unfortunate ‘compromise’ The Minister for Agriculture Edwin Poots MLA has welcomed the passage of “ground-breaking” climate legislation despite its inclusion of a net zero for 2050 target, which he previously said would have “profound and irreversible” consequences on Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector and the economy. At the final stage of passage of his Climate Change Bill (No. 2) in the Assembly, the Minister managed to retrieve some control of the Bill, which had been heavily amended by MLAs to include targets beyond those recommended by the UK’s Climate Change Committee, by introducing a split in targets for greenhouse gas reduction, which will see methane emission targets reduced. The Minister’s Bill had originally targeted an 82 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but during scrutiny of the Bill, MLAs backed an amendment to raise the ambition to net zero by 2050. An attempt by Green Party NI leader Clare Bailey MLA to go further and reduce the timeframe initially fell because Bailey was absent from the chamber when her 30

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amendment was to be raised. At the time the Minister vowed to find a way of “undoing the damage”. The Minister’s Bill faced multiple amendments when first opened to debate in the Assembly chamber and a further 70 amendments were proposed at its final stage, including from the Minister.

over 100 years, it is 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the Earth and 80 times more powerful over 20 years. However, critics had argued that more ambitious methane targets would adversely impact on agriculture in Northern Ireland.

While an amendment by the Minister to remove agriculture emissions from the net zero target fell, Poots was successful in achieving a 46 per cent reduction of methane on baseline levels target, in line with recommendations from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the UK's Climate Change Committee (CCC).

Announcing that “common sense has prevailed”, Poots said: “I have been clear and consistent throughout this process that we should follow the advice of the experts and set targets on the basis of the evidence. Unfortunately, some compromise was necessary, but I have done my best to mitigate and offset negative and unfair impacts from these, to realign the Bill back to science and evidence and to ensure that it can be as legally effective as possible.

Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. It is estimated that

“Although this Bill sets a legally binding net zero target, it will not require a level of net

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methane emissions reduction of more than 46 per cent by 2050…This will ensure that the net zero ambition will not disadvantage our local food production and require our agriculture sector to shut down.”

the Green Party NI leader said that her

Once given Royal Assent, the Act will mean that Northern Ireland will no longer be the only part of the UK and Ireland without climate change legislation in place.

Transition Fund for Agriculture.

The introduction of the Minister’s Bill had succeeded the earlier introduction of the Climate Change Bill by way of a Private Member’s Bill by Bailey. Despite originally progressing through the Assembly’s various scrutiny functions in conjunction with the Minister’s Bill, albeit at a slower pace given that Executive Bills receive priority, the Bill has now been withdrawn following the amendments to the Minister’s Bill. Welcoming the passage of the Climate Change (No.2) Bill through its final stage,

party had secured 12 amendments to transform the bill including a net zero target, an independent climate commissioner and a bespoke Just

“The Bill is not everything that we wanted, but it is an important first step which we need to keep building on,” she said. “What we need to see now from the Assembly, from every department and from every political party is the bravery to step up and put the policies in place that will secure a sustainable future in which the people of Northern Ireland can thrive. “The climate crisis is the biggest crisis facing humanity and our planet. We need to play our part, and with this legislation, we now have the building blocks to start moving forward.”

Key elements of Northern Ireland’s Climate Bill •

100 per cent carbon emission reduction by 2050

•

46 per cent methane emission by 2050

•

48 per cent carbon emission reduction by 2030

•

A Climate

•

sectoral plans for each department

•

Carbon budget for each budgetary period (2023-2027, and each succeeding five years)

Action Plan within 24 months of the Bill becoming an Act, updated at least every five years

carbon budgets for first three budgetary periods before end

of 2023

fourth and subsequent budgetary periods to be set at least 12 years before the start of the period in question.

•

A Just

Transition Fund for agriculture

•

Establish a Just

•

Establish an independent

Transition Commission Northern Ireland Climate Commissioner

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Delivering a green economy: Zero carbon cooperatives

Queen’s University Belfast are leading a project aiming to develop zero carbon cooperatives across local council areas in Northern Ireland, aiming to not only help solve many of Northern Ireland’s energy supply challenges but also deliver wider benefits for the economy and the environment. Queen’s University Belfast are leading a project aiming to bring together key stakeholders operating at a local level to deliver innovative solutions to tackle Northern Ireland’s decarbonisation challenge. Northern Ireland’s low carbon and renewable energy sector currently generates around £1 billion to the local economy and employs people equivalent to almost 6,000 full time jobs but The Path to Net Zero Energy, Northern Ireland’s forward looking energy strategy, published by the Department for the Economy, has set out an ambition to double the output of the sector to £2 billion by 2030. Northern Ireland is a disproportionately large carbon emitter within a UK context. It accounts for over 4 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions, despite accounting for less than 3 per cent of the UK’s total population. Part of the challenge in

Northern Ireland is a disproportionately larger agriculture sector than many of its neighbouring countries. It is estimated that some 27 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the sector, significantly higher than the two next highest emitters in the form of transport (23 per cent) and energy supply (15 per cent). However, it is widely accepted that meeting a cost-effective path to decarbonisation in Northern Ireland will require action across all sectors of the economy and a more joined-up approach. This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund, Queen’s University Belfast are seeking to act as enablers of local businesses and communities in each local council to research, design, and deliver solutions specific to their location and which will drive societal, economic, and environmental benefits.

“When you consider the dramatic shift that is going to be required to meet the challenges of decarbonisation, you must also consider the sizeable opportunity that exists in shaping that change.” Professor David Rooney David Rooney, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Dean of Internationalisation and Reputation at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, who is leading the Occident project, says: “When we look at the high-level ambitions for decarbonisation, it is often easy to forget that in order to achieve what is necessary, millions of people will have to come together to drive change. “When you consider the dramatic shift that is going to be required to meet the challenges of decarbonisation, you must also consider the sizeable opportunity that exists in shaping that change. Collective engagement is the only solution and so through this programme, we are seeking to actively encourage partnership working that can provide mutual benefits for all involved and for the environment.” Outlining his belief that the UK Government’s Build Back Greener net zero strategy, which highlights only one ongoing project in Northern Ireland in the form of Wrightbus’s development of hydrogenfuelled technology, is not reflective of the volume of green innovation taking place daily in council areas throughout Northern Ireland, Rooney says that greater collaboration between stakeholders can push Northern Ireland to the forefront of decarbonisation. “If we step away from the mindset of Northern Ireland making only its fair share of the UK

contribution, I think the potential exists for us to go further and even be negative in carbon. The question is not whether we have the resource or ability to do so, because we do. The question is really, can we adequately support people to be the drivers of change.” Rooney stresses the point that a single model zero-carbon community will not fit all situations, and so specific solutions for each council area will be required. To this end, he emphasises that the Occident project is not about delivering predefined pathways, but rather about enabling and supporting local stakeholders to collaborate to deliver net zero solutions. The importance of fostering local innovation can be seen in Northern Ireland’s unique decarbonisation challenge. Unlike the rest of the UK, the region does not have large clusters of industry and power generators, meaning only 17 per cent of carbon emissions come from major emitters in the region. The necessity for local innovation can be seen further in previous research done by the Bryden Centre at Queen’s University Belfast on carbon capture, utilisation, and storage potential in Northern Ireland. The report sets out that as well as an absence of industrial clusters present in the UK, Northern Ireland also lacks access to high capacity, long-term geological storage, which

A zero-carbon community should be prosperous, sustainable, and near energy independent while generating almost no pollution or waste for disposal. Achievement will see industry and agriculture benefit through: • Sale of waste for reuse • Removal of waste disposal costs • Development of new business opportunities • Prevention or reduction of carbon taxes and potentially development of carbon offsets • Reduced risk of pollution and the cost of mitigation • Lower risk of external energy price shocks

exists in the North Sea. The report highlighted the sizeable costs that would come with implementing large scale carbon capture for Northern Ireland, not least, reducing the competitiveness of large emitting businesses. In contrast, alternatives to carbon capture and geological storage are rapidly developing, and, as the Brydon report states, “are likely to offer a more financially attractive route to carbon sequestration in Northern Ireland”. Outlining potential alternative carbon sequestration or offsetting using Northern Ireland’s natural resources to be explored, the research points to: •

increased utilisation of Northern Ireland’s land and marine assets to sequester CO2 via nature-based solutions;

•

coupling the use of captured CO2, nutrient rich agricultural wastes, and renewable energy to recycle atmospheric carbon to a range of agriproducts;

•

investigate regionally derived carbon products for longer term carbon sequestration, including timber for construction and/or the production of biochar from forestry residues and other organic wastes followed by land spreading to sequester carbon in the soil; and maximise the energy value of biomass resources for conversion to thermal or electrical energy.

Cooperative Outlining the concept of a zero-carbon cooperative, he says that rethinking local renewable energy use and waste management can accelerate change for local benefit and create opportunities to deliver new products, heat and green electricity, carbon removal, and economic growth. Such a cooperative can be a partnership between communities of local industry, business, farmers, and people. Together this community can cooperatively solve many local challenges in energy and the wider environment. Combining these solutions will greatly reduce waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution whilst creating a prosperous local economy with improved health and wellbeing for everyone.” The concept of the Occident project was well received in Fermanagh, the first of many council areas in which Queen’s aim to initiate local engagement to help foster collaborative innovations. In 2021, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, the largest by area of Northern Ireland’s 11 local authorities, published its first Climate Change and Sustainable Development Strategy and in October of the same year, the Council approved its Climate Change and Sustainable Development Action Plan detailing the actions including efforts on reducing

council emissions in areas such as energy and buildings, resource management, transport, and land use. Speaking at the event, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Errol Thompson, said: “As the first Council to publish a Climate Change and Sustainable Development Strategy, the Council is delighted to be a partner in this project and to join with representatives from across all sectors to achieve the vision of our Climate Change Strategy, which is that the Fermanagh and Omagh district is inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and competent. By working together, we can accelerate the transition to net zero, build climate resilience and grow a sustainable economy. “Our Climate Change Strategy and accompanying

Skills Alongside enabling zero carbon cooperatives, as part of the project, Queen’s University Belfast are also seeking to engage on the skills development needed to develop a sustainable future. The university have been funded to look at the needs of the economy and scope a Skills Academy, working alongside Further Education delivery partners on a regional basis to support industry networks. Andrew Norton, Project Manager for the Net-Zero Skills Academy points out that by the end of 2022, it is expected that 42 per cent of core skills required to perform existing jobs are expected to change. “Therefore, it is important that we can increase technical capacity and innovation skills with a regional focus, working with industry, education, and local councils,” he explains. Norton points out that an existing linear approach to education may not be best suited to the levels of adaptation that will be required to decarbonise many industries and sectors. “Adaptation is best met through a culture of lifelong learning and continuing professional development (CPD). What we are aiming to do is consider emerging and rapidly evolving green technologies and how they can influence the way we look at education and how that will support a net zero future. “Through the Skills Academy we are looking at how we can build technical capacity on a regional basis and assist in the implementation of new green technologies. “It is important that when designing a net zero cooperative, that consideration is also given to building in innovation training, facilitating the integration of new green technologies into current services.”

“Through the Skills Academy we are looking at how we can build technical capacity on a regional basis and assist in the implementation of new green technologies.” Andrew Norton

Action Plan extend beyond council services to private, public and community sectors and this event provides an opportunity to build on this and create a sustainable Council, communities, and environment. This project also supports the Fermanagh and Omagh Community Plan 2030 outcomes to ensure the economy is thriving, expanding, and outward looking and out outstanding and culturally rich environment is cherished, sustainably managed and appropriately accessible.”

Professor David Rooney, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences D.Rooney@qub.ac.uk Andrew Norton, Net-Zero Skills Academy a.norton@qub.ac.uk

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.

The UK Community Renewal Fund is a UK Government programme for 2021/22. This aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches to prepare for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It invests in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-community-renewal-fund-prospectus

issues agenda

Leaving care The latest annual statistics on children leaving care upon approaching adulthood in Northern Ireland paint a bleak picture of the challenges facing those transitioning to independence, writes David Whelan. In February 2022, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) published its annual statistics bulletin on care leavers in Northern Ireland. The bulletin outlines outcomes for care leavers across a range of areas, differentiating between those approaching or turning 18 and those who were 19 across the year from April 2020 to March 2021. The annual bulletin is not descriptive of the overall outcomes for the hundreds of individuals who leave care upon reaching adulthood in Northern Ireland every year, but the snapshot does provide some insights into the range of challenges associated with time in care. Looking at those aged 19 alone – that is, those who had been in care on 1 April 2018 and who reached their 19th birthday during the year ending 31 March 2021 – of the 238 individuals identified, 20 per cent had been in care for 10 years or longer.

agenda issues

It is widely recognised that time spent in care has ramifications, including elements of social disadvantage that impinge on a person’s quality of later life. These challenges can be compounded by the transition to independence as individuals reach adulthood. As a result, Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) in Northern Ireland are required by the Children (Leaving Care) Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 to take reasonable steps to maintain contact with care leavers. However, for 2020/21, 5 per cent of individuals had no contact at all, with this figure including a small number not resident in the UK or deceased. A further 5 per cent had contact once only every six months and 16 per cent had a frequency of contact rate of once every three months. Of those with whom HSCTs maintained contact, 67 per cent were receiving some form of ongoing support

issues agenda

from social services, the vast majority of which was financial and relating to accommodation or education, however 13 per cent of those receiving ongoing care were doing so for mental health issues. Only 18 per cent of those leaving care at the age of 19 within the year were living independently or with a tenancy, however, almost one-third were living with their former foster carers in a GEM arrangement and some 31 per cent were living with their parents or family and friends. Around 15 per cent were living in supported accommodation. In terms of economic activity, 30 per cent of care leavers aged 19 were not in education, employment, or training (NEET) in 2020/21. Statistics show that 16 per cent remained unemployed, while a further 12 per cent were unemployed due to ill-health or disability.

16 to 18 Collection of data for those aged 16 to 18 varied from those aged 19 across the year, however, there are similar obvious challenges associated with time in care. A total of 332 young people aged 16 to 18 left care during the year ending March 2021, the majority of which were male (56 per cent). Most (87 per cent) left care because they had reached the age of 18, almost all 16 or 17 years of age returned to their birth parents. Of all care leavers aged 16-18 across the year, 20 per cent had a statement of Special Educational Need. Although not directly comparable, only 5 per cent of all school leavers had a similar statement across the same year, suggesting a disproportionate number of young care leavers have specific educational needs compared with the general population. After leaving care, only 30 per cent of this cohort were still living with their former foster carers and 13 per cent were living independently. A total of 18 per cent were described as divided between living with friends or family, in custody, or in other accommodation. Perhaps most strikingly, 33 per cent of care leavers in the year to March 2021 did not have any qualifications upon leaving care. Educational attainment is often an important indicator of future employment prospects and economic performance. Over the year, only 29 per cent of care leavers aged 16 to 18 had achieved five GCSE grades A*-C or higher, this compares to 91 per cent of the school leaver population. In terms of economic activity, the majority of young people, just over half (55 per cent) were in education or training at the time of leaving care, while 10 per cent were in employment, however, 13 per cent were deemed unemployed and the status of a further 13 per cent was unknown by HSCTs. While the manner in which statistics are gathered makes an understanding of the broader context of outcomes for those who have experienced care in Northern Ireland difficult, the annual snapshot offers some sense of the additional barriers placed in front of those individuals transitioning to adulthood.

CARE LEAVERS 2020/21 Aged 16-18

Aged 19

33% with no qualifications 20% with Special Educational Needs statement 13% living independently 36% not in education, training or employment

20% in care 19 years or longer 5% with no HSCT contact 30% not in education, training or employment

agenda issues

Wheels in motion at Hydrogen Training Academy upskill our workforce to meet future requirements. Led by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, the Hydrogen Training Academy will enable Northern Ireland to maximise the opportunities associated with hydrogen as an emerging sustainable energy solution.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Councillor William McCaughey.

A first-of-its-kind project to support the development of a skilled workforce that can take full advantage of hydrogen and cleantech opportunities is now underway. Following its launch in February 2022,

UK Government’s Community Renewal

the Ballymena-based Hydrogen Training

Fund, the Department for Communities’

Academy is the result of a public-private

Covid-Revitalisation Fund and EP UK

investment of up to £700,000 from the

Investments, which will ultimately help to

The University of Birmingham, Northern Regional College, Belfast Metropolitan College, Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University are amongst the key delivery partners for the initiative, whilst a consortium of key industry players involved includes: Ballymena-based Wrightbus, developer of the world’s first hydrogen bus; renewable energy and technology firm Energia; public-transport provider Translink; natural gas supplier Firmus; EP UK Investments, owners of the Kilroot and Ballylumford Power Stations; and green energy supplier B9 Energy. As part of the Academy’s project activities, the University of Birmingham is delivering a bespoke ‘Train the Trainer’ programme to academic and industry stakeholders on KnowHy Hydrogen Production. Funded by the Community Renewal Fund, the practical element of the Level 5 KnowHy course will utilise the newly established lab at Northern Regional College. The H2 Gas Safe Lab, funded by the Department for Communities and based at Silverwood Industrial Estate, Ballymena will also provide a bespoke H2 Gas Safe training tlab for the pilot scheme and beyond. This programme will see the stakeholders become trainers and, once they have completed their training, will use their new theoretical knowledge to develop and accredit two Level 3 Hydrogen Technologies courses for those wanting to enter, or upskill in, the hydrogen sector. Development of the two courses, H2 Gas Safe and Hydrogen Technologies, will be led by Belfast Met and Northern

Regional College respectively, with each college working closely with their trainers and stakeholders to ensure the courses are relevant to industry. Dr Ahmad El-kharouf is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham and an expert in training students for the growing fuel cell and hydrogen market. He explains: “Conducted in two parts, the course consists of the theoretical study of materials delivered through online content and live tutorials as well as a practical experimental session for participants to apply their learning in a lab setting. Furthermore, the University of Birmingham is supporting the colleges in developing their Level 3 training material content. “We have already completed the training for the first cohort of 22 participants on the H2 KnowHy course, with the participants showing great interest in the material which itself reflects the growing interest from Northern Ireland industry in the topic.” Highlighting the critical role the Academy is playing in providing key skills for the future, Karl McTague, Fleet Training Engineer, Translink stated: “My responsibility is to create, develop and deliver training courses to provide Translink’s bus engineering staff with the knowledge to work safely and efficiently on our range of vehicles. The courses I create and deliver are designed to help our staff transition their existing skills and talents to our new vehicles. This training has provided me with not only up to date, but very relevant information for this new fuel source which will deliver wider environmental, societal and economic benefits for the future.” McTague added: “Overall I found the training to be very beneficial, it gave a good overview of the different technologies and uses for Hydrogen and an understanding of expectations for the industry and the skills required, I will use the information from this course to reinforce knowledge within Translink through the delivery of training and highlight the opportunity it provides to upskill. This will be key to educate the engineering staff within Translink to work safely on and around hydrogen fuelled vehicles.” Graham Whitehurst, Chair of Mid and East Antrim’s Manufacturing Task Force, outlines how the Hydrogen Training Academy will play a “critical role” in training and upskilling existing

employees as well as new trainees to a recognised professional competence standard required for the hydrogen sector. “Through the Hydrogen Training Academy and a range of other initiatives, led by our Manufacturing Task Force, Mid and East Antrim is cementing its position as a hub for SME innovation and commercialisation activity and a springboard for the future of the cleantech growth sector and industry,” he says. Explaining the role that Further and Higher Education will play in the Academy, Graham says: “Level 3 training is only the first step in the process. Our ambitious plans include our educational partners working together to develop a Level 7 postgraduate certificate in hydrogen power as well as hydrogen CPD courses. Additionally, our partners are developing a Level 2 in Hydrogen Basics which itself will act as a pre-cursor to Level 3 delivery. “These initiatives will ultimately lead to a complete and full learning pathway from Level 2 to Level 7 for industry across several sectors, including energy, transport, gas, manufacturing and engineering.” Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Councillor William McCaughey describes the importance of the investment and what it means for long term economic recovery and growth. He says: “Mid and East Antrim is uniquely placed in Northern Ireland in terms of the key strengths and assets we boast in energy and cleantech that align with the ambition of net zero carbon targets.

“This Academy will support the development of the Ballymena area as a ‘hydrogen hub’ and continue to build upon our Borough’s reputation as a centre of excellence and the main focal point of the emerging Northern Ireland wide hydrogen economy. “These investments in clean energy will help grow the green economy and reduce Northern Ireland’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. “Coupled with our future plans for investment in the i4C Innovation and Cleantech Centre at St Patrick’s Barracks and the recent announcement of £15 million joint funding with Queen’s University Belfast under the Northern Ireland Executive’s City and Growth Deals Complementary Fund for a Ballymena Integrated Green Hydrogen Hub, this further supports and cements our ambition.” The Hydrogen Training Academy aligns with a number of current policy initiatives, including the Department for the Economy’s 10X Economic Strategy, the UK’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and Clean Growth Strategy, as well as the Department’s recently launched Path to Net Zero energy strategy.

For further information on the Hydrogen Training Academy, or to find out more about the specific courses that will be available, contact: T: 028 2563 3345 E: invest@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

issues agenda

RHI: Only 40 per cent of inquiry recommendations implemented two years on Two years on from the publication of 44 recommendations by the RHI public inquiry, only 18 have been fully implemented and only one person has been disciplined by way of written warning. The publication of the RHI Inquiry report in March 2020, which was accepted by the Northern Ireland Executive in full, came with 314 findings and 44 recommendations, the last of which stated that the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) should assess and validate progress in implementing the lessons learned from the Northern Ireland RHI scheme and report on progress periodically. Of the 44 recommendations made by the RHI Inquiry, 18 have been implemented and 14 are deemed likely to be recommended but the Audit Office assesses there are 10 areas with planned actions, which are not likely to address the recommendations. Looking at the period up until September 2021, the report provides an update on the non-domestic RHI scheme and tracks progress by the Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) in implementing the recommendations from the RHI Inquiry. Following the publication of the RHI Inquiry recommendations, the Executive established a dedicated sub-committee on reform to oversee the response by government. In July 2020, the sub-committee committed to producing an action plan by autumn 2020. Despite a revision of the commitment pushing the intended production deadline to Christmas 2020, both timelines were missed, with an Executive Response to the RHI Inquiry Report Recommendations and Action Plan finally published in October 2021. Following their assessment report, the NIAO made three recommendations, including:

agenda issues

• that the Group Internal Audit and Fraud Investigation Service (GIAFIS) within the NICS monitor compliance with requirements for the DoF to maintain and publish registers of declared interests, lobbying and meetings as appropriate; • that attendance at departmental inductions and developmental training for ministers and special advisers should be regarded as compulsory within a reasonable timeframe of assuming their position, as circumstances permit; and • that Group Internal Audit and Fraud Investigation Service (GIAFIS) monitor compliance with standards and processes for record keeping across all departments on an ongoing basis, particularly where matters should be documented for complex or major decisions. “Two years on from the publication of the RHI Inquiry Report, progress in addressing the recommendations has been disappointing in areas. Only 18 of the recommendations can be categorised as implemented and in some themes, there has been minimal progress,” the NIAO report states. “We concluded that actions planned in response to 10 recommendations were unlikely to address the concerns of the Inquiry in full. The remaining 14 recommendations relate to areas where planned action will take some time to embed but will, in our view, eventually address the Inquiry concerns.” Also included in the Audit Office’s report were details

issues agenda

around the outcome of disciplinary proceedings instigated against a number of civil servants involved in the RHI scheme.

upheld, while one individual received a written warning of misconduct. Six remaining cases were stayed following the initiation of a judicial review in June 2020.

The Audit Office describes it as “surprising” that only one individual has received a written warning for misconduct in the context that the gravity of the issues discussed during the RHI Inquiry “would have led most people to believe that significant disciplinary consequences would have arisen from it”.

In January 2021, following the standing down of the Cabinet Office panel, which had been due to consider two cases, disciplinary hearings saw the Cabinet Secretary conclude that the pair had no case to answer.

In November 2019, an adapted disciplinary process was agreed by the NICS Board, and a subsequent independent panel was established by the Department of Finance in March 2020 to consider the RHI Inquiry’s report and identify any potential disciplinary charges. This panel, external to the NICS, was to identify potential disciplinary charges for an internal NICS panel, made up of three Permanent Secretaries, or, if related to an NICS staff member above grade 3, a separate UK Government Cabinet Office panel. The external panel recommended disciplinary charges be considered against 11 individuals. On consideration, the internal NICS panel and a Cabinet Office panel concluded that charges of gross misconduct should be considered for six individuals and misconduct for four individuals. In May 2020, in proceedings against four individuals, misconduct charges for three individuals were not

In Northern Ireland, following resolution of the legal action, the NICS offered three remaining individuals the choice of going through the same adapted process as the four other NICS cases considered, or the disciplinary process as established in the NICS handbook. All chose the handbook process, and following a preliminary enquiry, a determination was made of no further action in each case. Although expressing their surprise at the outcome, the NIAO said that they were satisfied that the disciplinary process appears to have been followed properly. In December 2021, Finance Minister Conor Murphy MLA, in a written statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly, described the staying of the adapted disciplinary process under the threat of legal action as “clearly concerning”. Murphy added: “I have commissioned a full review of the NICS disciplinary policy. This is underway and will determine any potential improvements to the policy and its implementation.”

agenda issues

ABC Council Agriculture Strategy: Ambitious plans to support £376 million sector With a firm eye to the future, there was a fresh feeling of hope, optimism and opportunity in the air during the launch of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough (ABC) Council’s new Agriculture Strategy last month. Held in Dollingstown’s stunning Gracehall, the launch event laid out plans within ‘Northern Ireland’s first council-led agriculture strategy’ to representatives from the borough’s diverse farming and business community as well as to key industry leaders, academics and stakeholders, many of whom played a key role in shaping and informing the strategy’s development.

Pictured at the strategy launch from left: Councillor Declan McAlinden (Chair of Council’s Economic Development and Regeneration Committee), Roger Wilson (Council Chief Executive), Adam Henson (keynote speaker) and Peter Kendall (keynote speaker).

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council sets out a pathway for the future of its local agriculture and farming sector.

Proposing 10 recommendations, the strategy not only demonstrates council’s commitment to the sector but also articulates the role they must play in supporting the industry’s economic growth and long-term viability. “This is a testimony to the ambition, aspiration and commitment of our council to demonstrate innovation and be responsive to the emerging issues in our business and farming community,” says Roger Wilson, Chief Executive of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. “Our borough is well-known and characterised by its fertile lands, rolling hills, orchards, the lough and rich farming heritage, so it comes as no surprise that we’re home to over 3,400 farm enterprises leading in horticulture, cattle, sheep and cereal farming, as well as bringing around £376 million into the local economy and employing over 7,000 local people.

Pictured from left: Peter Kendall, Lissa O’Malley (ABC Council), Jonathan Birnie (Birnie Consultancy), Adam Henson, Roger Wilson (Council Chief Executive), Olga Murtagh (ABC Council Strategic Director), Ashley Hassin (Birnie Consultancy) and Councillor Declan McAlinden (Chair of Council’s Economic Development and Regeneration Committee).

“These facts are not lost on council, as we understand the significant contribution local agribusinesses make to our borough’s community life and economic fortunes. In recognition of this strength, our Agriculture Strategy sets out a vision that sharpens our focus on the necessary steps needed to support and drive further growth within this vitally important industry.”

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Agriculture Strategy, 10 recommendations 1.

Expand and evolve Food Heartland.

Develop a method of communicating regularly and clearly with all agriculture and agribusinesses in the borough.

Develop a plan to facilitate skills development in agriculture and agribusinesses.

Appoint ‘agriculture champions’ for the

Discussing the future of agriculture, event panellists featured, Elizabeth Magowan (AFBI), David Elliott (Compere), Simon Best (Acton House Farm), Jonathan Birnie (Birnie Consultancy), John Gilliland (Devenish), Roger Wilson (Council Chief Executive) and Olga Murtagh (Council Strategic Director).

borough. 5.

Develop an ‘agriculture centre’ for advice, training, demonstrations, and research.

Facilitate structural upgrading.

ABC Rural Strategy.

Further studies in sectors related to the agriculture industry.

Agri-food development.

10. Promote the health and wellbeing of farmers and rural dwellers.

Roger continues “focused on the benefits of collaboration, council is committed to delivering the strategy’s recommendations that will drive inclusive growth and the green agenda within the sector by working alongside key stakeholders, complementing and promoting the sector’s offering plus addressing the needs of this sector to enable it to reach its true potential.” With well-established initiatives and facilities already embedded across the borough, ABC Council launched its Food Heartland brand back in 2015, which saw them work alongside the industry to champion local food and drink producers, and support their ongoing growth and development. What’s more, council’s Tannaghmore Rare Breeds Animal Farm, the only Rare Breeds Survival Trust Conservation Farm Park in Ireland, celebrates farming and living heritage as well as supports council’s ecological sustainability and conservation programmes. Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Alderman Glenn Barr says: “With agriculture and agri-food sectors featuring prominently on the borough's agenda, as a council we are committed to driving the industry forward by not only delivering on the recently

Just before delivering his keynote speech, Adam Henson enjoyed a special tour of council’s Tannaghmore Rare Breeds Animal Farm in Craigavon. Getting to see the range, diversity and quality of the farm’s rare breeds, like their Irish Moiled cattle that continue to play an important part in the council’s conservation grazing programme.

launched Agriculture Strategy’s recommendations but by also continuing to build upon our existing support measures, utilise our strong network base and bid for new funding. “This strategy represents a real impetus for change and a chance for the whole sector, from field to fork, to come together on the one path to take advantage of all future opportunities and share in economic growth of the borough.” Providing an overview of the strategy, the launch event also featured keynote speeches from former National Farmers' Union President Peter Kendall and BBC

Countryfile’s Adam Henson, as well as a panel discussion on the future of agriculture, and insights from local students currently taking part in the ABP Angus Youth Challenge. Commissioned by ABC Council, the Agriculture Strategy was carried out by industry specialists Birnie Consultancy Ltd in line with the Independent Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Agri-Food Sector, the Green Growth Strategy and the Mid South West (MSW) Regional Economic Strategy among others.

For further information please contact Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council T: 0300 0300 900 E: info@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk W: armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk Follow us on facebook.com/armaghbanbridgecraigavon twitter.com/abcb_council linkedin.com/company/armagh-city-banbridge-craigavon-borough-council/ instagram.com/abc_council/ Follow Food Heartland on facebook.com/FoodHeartlandNI twitter.com/FoodHeartlandNI

Speakers: Kate Bentley, Belfast City Council; Angus Kerr, Department for Infrastructure; David Whelan, agendaNi Magazine; Gary McGhee, Carson McDowell and Debbie Harper, Arup.

Northern Ireland Planning Conference The 2022 Northern Ireland Planning Conference recently took place in the Europa Hotel, Belfast. The conference is now firmly established as the major annual event for all those with an interest or role in planning and development in Northern Ireland. We were delighted to have a range of expert speakers, local and visiting, join us to examine the challenges and opportunities for planning in Northern Ireland including Angus Kerr, Department for Infrastructure; Professor Michael Batty CBE, University College London; Kate Bentley, Belfast City Council; Nathan Coyle, New Union and Louise O’Kane, Community Places. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our conference sponsors, Carson McDowell and Arup, all speakers and delegates who joined us in the Europa Hotel, Belfast and made the conference a huge success.

Rory Woodside and Julie McClelland, Land & Property Services.

Patrick Bradley, Land & Property Services and Harold McKee, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

Colette Kane, Northern Ireland Audit Office and Angus Kerr, Department for Infrastructure.

Craig Harper, TerraQuest, Faye Phillips, Carson McDowell and Noel Brady, Consult Nb1.

Speakers: Kieran Donnelly, Northern Ireland Audit Office and Louise O’Kane, Community Places.

Speaker: Nathan Coyle, New Union.

agenda issues

Skills and apprenticeship report

Digital

Events

skills and apprenticeship report

Skills: A missing middle The squeeze out of low or no skilled people from Northern Ireland’s labour market has been exacerbated by the pandemic, with employers continuing to favour highly qualified individuals. The finding was one of a number pandemic-driven shifts in Northern Ireland’s skills demographic noted in the Department for the Economy’s Northern Ireland Skills Barometer 2021. Restrictions in the labour market had a more adverse effect on individuals occupying roles needing lower levels of qualification, for example, in the first quarter of 2020, 22 per cent of total hours worked were accounted to individuals qualified to NQF level 2 or below, however, by the last quarter of 2021, this figure had declined to just 15 per cent. In contrast, those qualified to degree level or above registered an increase for their contribution to overall hours worked for the same period, up from 32 per cent to 41 per cent. The appetite for highly qualified individuals appears to be influencing a trend of the education system retaining young people for longer, with a higher proportion of young people enrolling in higher level education but, notably, this trend is also creating short-term labour market supply pressures. A post-pandemic changing mix of skill requirements has been influenced by a range of other factors, including a

reduction in non-UK nationals in 2020/21. A reduction in migration flows, attributed to restrictions on international travel, has resulted in labour shortages in occupations which have been more dependent upon migrant labour in recent years. Labour shortages have also been compounded by the highest proportion of early retirements for almost a decade. Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, from whom the Skills Barometer was commissioned by the Department, assess that an accumulation of excess savings, driven by restrictions on social activity, afforded older people greater choice and has resulted in many older workers affected by the pandemic deciding to retire early. In parallel, at the other end of the labour market spectrum, the level of economically inactive students also rose to its highest levels in almost a decade as some students suffered from a lack of opportunities during the pandemic and others withdrew their labour. The Skills Barometer also flags a perceived emphasis being placed on the importance of ‘soft skills’ such as problem solving and attitude to work by employers, suggesting that remote

working has also evoked additional skills challenges, likely to persist over the long term. “The labour market is demanding individuals with qualifications and for the most part, the education system is producing them. However, for a region to prosper in productivity, improve living standards and compete at a global level, the labour market needs more,” the Skills Barometer report assesses, adding that collaboratively the education system, employers and policy makers must work to develop a system that sufficiently prepares talented young people to prosper within the world of work.

To 2030 A high growth economic scenario utilised by the report’s authors estimates that Northern Ireland’s employment growth rate will average 0.8 per cent per annum, meaning a forecasted additional 7,300 jobs every year, or 25,000 in the decade to 2030. Under the scenario, higher growth rates are expected in sectors associated with higher qualification requirements. Understandably, the occupation with the largest growth over the next decade is

forecast to be IT and telecommunications professionals, “directly linked to the growth of the ICT sector, and indirectly linked to an increased demand for digital skills across the wider economy”. However, it is important to note that while growth is expected to have an influence on demand in coming years, sectors with low growth prospects, for example, the wholesale and retail sectors, will still provide plentiful supply of opportunities through natural labour market churn, as replacement demand plays a substantial role in providing employment opportunities. Evidently, the demand for qualifications is being driven by the qualification profile within sectors and areas of strong growth which appear to be those with a high concentration of graduates. It is estimated that 37 per cent of labour demand in the coming decade will require NQF level 6+ (undergraduate degree and above). In contrast, only 8 per cent of the net requirement are demanded at NQF level 2 and below.

Supply

skills and apprenticeship report

In terms of meeting future demand, the Skills Barometer highlights an existing shift in supply. From 2003 to 2021, the proportion of people in employment in Northern Ireland with at least an undergraduate degree has more than doubled to 38 per cent, in contrast to the stock of low-level qualifications which has halved to 15 per cent over the same period. The replacement of older workers with lower qualification levels by younger labour market entrants with higher qualifications, as well as a sectoral shift towards higher qualification demand, is driving this shift but it has been accelerated by the pandemic, where almost all of the net decrease in employment has been recorded amongst those with lower levels of qualification, increasing the average stock of skills amongst those in employment.

EMPLOYMENT

The report assesses that while it is likely a return to employment of workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic will see a short-term reduction in the qualifications profile of the employed, “it is unlikely that the stock of qualifications amongst the employed will return to pre-pandemic levels as some of this labour will be permanently outside the labour force”.

PROJECTIONS Top 10 growth sectors (2020-2030)

Professional, scientific and technical Information and communication

Health and social work Construction

Manufacturing Restaurants and hotels

Administrative and support services Transport and storage

Education

Other service activities

Education The past two years has seen a recognised rise in levels of retention within the education system and attainment across all levels of the education system. While this has an effect of reducing the annual flow of qualifiers into the labour market, it is most pronounced in occupations and sectors typically associated with lower levels of graduate employment. According to the Skills Barometer: “The overall supply of qualifications in Northern Ireland remains characterised by a ‘missing middle’, with relatively few mid-level skills provided by the education system which directly transition to the labour market.”

Demand and supply balance There will be growth opportunities for all skills levels across a range of sectors - the focus will be predominantly on higher level skills.

Source: UUEPC

In relation to the demand and supply imbalance, the Skills Barometer sought to identify areas of over and undersupply by NQF level and subjects in tertiary education, a summary of its findings include:

4 47

skills and apprenticeship report

•

a slight undersupply at NQF level 6+, which could be addressed by improving the employability of graduates (i.e., transversal skills and work placements);

However, if enrolment and attainment patterns remain at 2020/21 levels and migration flows to not return to pre-pandemic levels there is a risk of undersupply;

•

an undersupply of mid-level (NQF level 3-5) qualifications, reflecting a relatively small number of qualifiers at this level who transition to the labour market;

•

a slight oversupply of low-level qualifications (NQF level 2 and below) over the next 10 years.

Commenting on the findings of the 2021 Skills Barometer, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA says that the

a subject imbalance at HE level, with undersupply in key narrow STEM subject areas (e.g., computer science, engineering, physical and environmental sciences).

Barometer “clearly illustrates that investment in skills is worthwhile, leading to better employment prospects and higher earnings”. “The Barometer outlines some clear challenges, for example, how demographic trends will create labour supply challenges over the coming decade and in doing so underpins the need for one of my key skills policy objectives to ‘create a culture of lifelong learning’. It also provides clear evidence on the digital skills challenge which we

Average annual labour market supply gap by qualification (NQF), NI, 2020-2030 Undersupply

Oversupply

-840

Level 6+

-1930

Level 4-5

-2360

Undersupply

Level 3

560

Level 2

Oversupply 270

Less than NQF level 2 -3,000

-2,500

-2,000

-1,500

-1,000

-500

500

1,000

Average annual supply gap by qualification Source: UUEPC

Note: The supply gaps in the above chart have been calculated based on ‘effective supply’. This takes account of migration patterns amongst qualifiers at NI institutions and NI domiciled qualifiers qualifying from GB institutions, in addition to labour force participation. A supply adjustment is then applied to subtract tertiary qualifiers who require additional skills development to effectively fulfil the requirements of tertiary level employment. This group are not included in the above chart.

Annual average net requirement by sector (expansion and replacement demand), NI, 2020-2030 Health & social work Wholesale & retail Manufacturing Admin' & support services Professional scientific & technical Restaurants and hotels Construction Education Information & communication Transport & storage Public admin & defence Other service activities Arts & entertainment Finance & insurance Agriculture Real estate Water supply & waste Elect' & gas Mining People employed by households

Expansion demand

Net replacement demand 0

1,000 2,000 3,000 Number of people demanded

4,000

Source: UUEPC

must address urgently to ensure our people and businesses can reach their potential. My officials are continuing to work with the experts from the Economic Policy Centre, representatives of business, trade unions and education institutions to ensure we develop a skills system matched to the needs of a

globally competitive small, advanced economy. “Addressing the skills imbalances is key to driving economic growth and delivering on our societal ambitions. We must ensure people are equipped to meet the changing demands of the

labour market now, and in the future, as we strive to become one of the leading small economies of the world. I am confident the latest edition of the Skills Barometer will help people to make career and subject choices and in turn assist businesses as we build the pathway to a 10X economy.”

Skills and training: Vital for the future of the construction industry

Skills support will remain paramount in the coming years as the construction industry seeks to recover from the challenges of Covid-19, Brexit and rising inflation costs. The Northern Ireland construction industry has been greatly impacted by Covid-19, Brexit and rising inflation costs. However, both economic and industry growth is expected to return over the next number of years. CITB NI’s support for training will continue to remain paramount over the upcoming years to serve our industry while it recovers and grows again. We have encouraged our industry to continue to train during the difficult times to develop the skills of their workforce to help overcome challenges and learn more. The CITB NI Grants Scheme offers our registered employers grants to support training and qualifications, from apprentices, student placement grants through to the existing workforce including management and administration that supports the construction activity of the business. Registered employers are encouraged to make use of the grant scheme to help improve skills within their workforce. Skills shortages, an ageing workforce and poor perception of the industry are putting the future of the construction industry at risk. Consequently, the industry needs to do more to successfully promote itself to young people, careers influencers and meet the future demands. By way of influencing the skills of the

future CITB NI will continue to promote construction to the younger generation, help them consider the varied pathways within the industry as well as being a serious career option for the future. CITB NI recently took part in NI Apprenticeship Week 2022 promoting apprenticeships via digital platforms and undertaking a transforming apprenticeship school event which enabled over 150 year 12 to 14 pupils an opportunity to hear more about construction apprenticeships, speak to potential employers and have a go at practical skills. Apprentices are a vital component to helping the construction industry develop and grow. Offering young people apprenticeships gives businesses the chance to play an active role in moulding their future workforce and creating the future skills that they need to help their businesses develop. Skills competitions remain a focus for CITB NI and we organise the annual Skillbuild NI Finals each year. SkillBuild NI is a great opportunity to showcase and celebrate the high level of skills within our college and training network. Each year SkillBuild NI brings together the top and brightest talent in a bid to win in categories ranging from brickwork to wall and floor tiling. It also helps to shine a light on the enormous talent, professionalism and brightest recruits that exists across the industry.

skills and apprenticeship report

CITB NI will host Skillbuild NI National Finals on Wednesday 4 May, 2022 at their Training Centre at Nutts Corner. Winners will have the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland in the Skillbuild UK or Skill M&E UK National Finals and potentially the UK at WorldSkills. Following Covid-19 protocols, this will be the first face to face Skillbuild NI finals since 2019 and competitors are looking forward to the event. By way of encouraging young people to continue studying construction CITB NI has launched their Annual Built Environment Student Bursary Award, 12 students, who commenced and completed their first year of a full-time 3rd level Built Environment related construction qualification with a local training provider, were awarded a £1,000 bursary last year and this will continue this year to support training and education within the built environment. Looking towards the future, CITB NI will continue to promote construction careers to the youth market to encourage opportunities within the industry. Provide the support and services needed to ensure local businesses are equipped with all the right skills and continue to work with contractors, professional and trade bodies to support training and skills development for the overall benefit of the industry.

For further information on what we can do to help you and your construction training, log on to www.citbni.org.uk, like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CITBNorthe rnIreland or follow the discussion on Twitter @CITBNI , Instagram @CITB1 and LinkedIn http://linkd.in/1GBeyLf CITB NI, 17 Dundrod Road Crumlin, BT29 4SR

skills and apprenticeship report

Pictured at Belfast Met’s Titanic Quarter campus at the launch of ‘Skills for a 10X Economy’ are (l-r) Louise Warde Hunter, Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Met; Angela McGowan, Director, Confederation of British Industries, Northern Ireland; Mark Huddleston, joint CEO of Makers Alliance; Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA; Gareth Hetherington, Director of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre; and Barry Nielson, Chief Executive, Construction Industry Training Board Northern Ireland.

Skills for a 10X economy The Department for the Economy (DfE) has launched a 10-year skills strategy aimed at making Northern Ireland “one of the world’s elite small economies”. Launched in late March 2022, following initial consultation on a draft strategy, the Skills Strategy was approved by the newly created Skills Council for Northern Ireland, made up of representation from government, business, trade unions, the third sector and education institutions. Northern Ireland’s last Skills Strategy was published in 2011 and covered the decade up to 2020. The Strategy has been designed to support the May 2021 publication of the Northern Ireland Executive’s economic vision, with the aim of delivering an economy that is “10x stronger, 10x more prosperous, 10x more resilient” and recognising that this will require transformation of the skills system. In September 2019, the Department for the Economy commissioned a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to assess the key skills issues impacting the local economy and to develop a range of recommendations. The report was published in June 2020 and in the context of the pandemic, responses largely noted that investment in skills is key to economic recovery and ensuring the economy is resilient to future shocks.

The recently published Northern Ireland Skills Barometer 2021 highlighted that the pandemic has driven shifts in Northern Ireland’s traditional labour market, creating both long-term and short-term implications for supply and demand. However, while new challenges have emerged under restrictions and adaptation to the pandemic, it is important to note the new strategies need to address challenges that have pre-dated and potentially been compounded by the pandemic in the form of: •

a relatively low productivity rate, when compared with the rest of the UK;

•

a greater number of workers with no qualifications, when compared with the UK average;

•

a mid-level skills gap;

•

the highest economic inactivity rate of any region of the UK; and

•

a legacy of underinvestment in skills in both the private and public sectors.

skills and apprenticeship report

Source: DfE

The need for transformational change to Northern Ireland’s skills system is being driven by a number of factors not least: rapid technological advancement, an ageing population, the need for green growth and Brexit.

to be built upon, however it also acknowledges a need to address Northern Ireland’s current comparatively low culture of lifelong learning, proposing a first ever Lifelong Learning Project and Action Plan.

“As our economy develops and automation displaces a growing number of jobs and job roles, the demand for higher level skills will continue to grow. It is vital, therefore, that we support as many people as possible to reach the qualification levels that will offer viable and sustainable opportunities in our emerging labour market.”

The 10X Economy vision indicates key strategic clusters set to drive economic growth and underpinning progress in those sectors is digital technology. However, an ambition to develop a digital spine goes beyond supporting those key clusters, recognising the heightened importance of digital competence in all work environments and as “a key aspect of an individual’s capacity to actively participate in modern life”. The Strategy has proposed a Digital Skills Action Plan.

Skills imbalances In aiming to address existing skills imbalances, with the aim of driving economic growth, the Strategy sets out a number of targets on which policies will focus, including: 1. Increasing the proportion of individuals leaving Northern Ireland higher education institutions with first degrees and post-graduate qualifications in narrow STEM subjects. 2. Increasing the proportion of the working age population with qualifications at level 2 and above. 3. Increasing the proportion of the working age population with qualifications at level 3 and above.

A culture of lifelong learning The vast majority of Northern Ireland’s 2030 workforce has already completed compulsory education, meaning that addressing skills imbalances in this timeframe cannot be addressed at early education level alone. Instead, bridging the skills gap of the working age population will require opportunities for individuals to upskill/reskill throughout their working lives. To date, Northern Ireland is below the OECD average in participation in lifelong learning. Adults across the OECD spend 30 per cent more time in adult learning than adults in Northern Ireland. Response to Covid-19 has helped accelerate some necessary action in this area, for example additional investment has been made available for apprenticeships and in leadership and management training. The strategy acknowledges that these investments will need

Investment Understandably, the Strategy emphasises the need for investment in the skills system to be prioritised, reflecting that investment in education and skills has fallen significantly in the last decade. However, to what extent the Strategy’s ambitions can be achieved will likely be affected by the continued absence of a multi-year budget. “Northern Ireland faces some challenges in achieving this long-term planning for social, economic and skills development. There are issues which are challenges to skills systems everywhere. Investment in skills carries an inherent risk for individuals, businesses and governments, as the future is uncertain and conflict exists between electoral cycles and long-term investments in the face of constrained resources. The problem in Northern Ireland has been exacerbated through a recent history of single-year budget agreements, which prohibit certainty and stifle long-term strategic planning,” the Strategy states. To this end, it is intended that the Skill Strategy will be endorsed as a whole-of-government Strategy, underpinned by two- five- and 10-year action plans, developed in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Skills Council.

Apprenticeship landscape Higher Level Apprenticeships (HLA) (Level 4/5) in Northern Ireland 990 participants on HLA programmes in 2020/21: 413 starts 462 in year 2

skills and apprenticeship report

115 in year 3

2020/21: 413 starts

25.3%

2019/20: 553 starts

1 in 3 starts in 2021 were female 134 females 279 males Most popular:

2019/20

2020/21

Engineering and manufacturing

Engineering and manufacturing technologies

178

123

technologies (36.6%)

Business, administration and law

116

Health, public services and care

HLA starts by the six most

Information and communication technology

popular sector subject areas,

Construction, planning and the built environment

2019/20 – 2020/21:

Science and mathematics

Success rate

2020/2021 91.1%

2019/20 84.7%

Level 4 and 5 Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) provision delivered in Northern Ireland Further Education (FE) colleges in the academic years 2017/18 - 2020/21 Source: NISRA

ApprenticeshipsNI: Level 2/Level 3

3,034 starts in 2021/22 48% Level 2

5,775 starts in 2020/21

9% at Level 2/3 42% at Level 3

(up to October 2021)

Most popular 2013/2017/2021

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

1. Construction

1. Engineering

1. Electrotechnical

2. Food manufacture

2. Vehicle maintenance and repair

2. Construction crafts

3. Mechanical engineering services

3. Construction crafts

3. Engineering

Female participation across all levels 2021/22: 35.5%

Apprenticeship expansion the design of new bespoke qualifications and engagement with UCAS to recognise all aspects of the Advanced Technical Award.

At present, further education, through provision and delivery of Higher Level Apprenticeships (HLAs), is the principle provider of ‘in demand’ level 4 and 5 qualifications and a dominant provider of vocational qualifications at level 3. While ApprentishipsNI provides level 2/level 3 apprenticeships, where participants work towards a level 2/level 3 apprenticeship framework. Changing demands of the labour market will require a host of new skills to be delivered but given that the majority of the 2050 workforce has already entered the labour market, it is acknowledged that up-skilling and re-skilling will also be a critical factor if Northern Ireland is to reach its economic and environmental ambitions. Northern Ireland’s new Skills Strategy recognises that the demands of a changing labour market will require continued investment in Northern Ireland’s further education sector, with a particular emphasis on the qualifications in priority sectors that will drive economic development, but additionally, that investment must “always be

balanced against the role the sector plays in adult education and the provision of qualifications at level 2 and below”. “The capacity of the skills system to deliver entry level qualifications and pathways to further and higher education is crucial, if we are to avoid the deepening of existing inequalities and support the realisation of our economic and societal ambition,” the Strategy states. The Department for the Economy plans to work with FE colleges to develop a new Advanced Technical Award at level 3, aiming to address long-standing productivity challenges and contributing to addressing skill gaps identified in growth sectors. The award aims to increase the proportion of individuals achieving mid-level qualifications. Delivered in priority areas, the project will be delivered in two phases. Phase one commenced in September 2021 and sees the introduction of the Advanced Technical Awards in six priority areas. Phase two of the programme development will focus on

skills and apprenticeship report

The development of new pathways, the introduction of provision for all-ages and the inclusion of a wide-range of public bodies are part of planned extensive changes to ensure apprenticeships meet the current and future needs of industry in Northern Ireland.

Over 11,000 apprentices are currently in training, with under 10 per cent undertaking a Higher Level Apprenticeship. Over 150 apprenticeship frameworks are offered at level 2 and level 3, with over 20 offered at level 4 and above across a wide range of sectors. Employer-led sectoral partnerships operate across 15 different sectors, with the likes of food manufacturing and engineering, central to the development of apprenticeship frameworks from level 2 to level 8. On review of apprenticeship frameworks, the Department has developed further apprenticeship pathways in areas such as cyber security and digital forensics, while new level 2 and 3 apprenticeships will soon be available in Automated Entrance Systems. Additionally, the Department says that, given the strategic importance of expanding the apprenticeship offering and the need for pathways to mid-level qualifications in all fields of study, the age cap for ApprenticeshipsNI is to be removed. Finally, the Skills Strategy points to plans to introduce public sector apprenticeships (PSAs), offer the opportunity for existing and prospective public servants to undertake high quality learning and development as part of their work. Although a small number of PSAs already exist, the Department says it is committed to widening participation “by supporting development across a wide range of public bodies and bringing them under the support of the ApprenticeshipsNI and Higher Level Apprenticeship programmes”. Alongside exploration of widening existing professional pathways within the Northern Ireland Civil Service, the Skills Strategy states: “Recognising the growing demand for highly skilled professionals in our health system, we will invest in the development of a new Nursing Higher Level Apprenticeship Framework, to support the diversity of entry points into the profession with clearly defined career progression routes.”

skills and apprenticeship report

Barriers remain to apprenticeship uptake In April 2021, the then-Minister for the Economy Diane Dodds MLA stated that apprenticeships will “be a key component of the economic recovery as we seek to build the local skills base”, but barriers to apprenticeships remain a concern. The Economic Recovery Action Plan set out by Dodds in February 2021 set out how the Executive would attempt to steer Northern Ireland’s recovery from the economic damage wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic. Key to that recovery was investment in skills and key to that investment in turn was a pledge to widen accessibility to apprenticeships, with Dodds committing to making apprenticeships at levels 2 and 3 available to those over the age of 25. The previous September, a £26 million apprenticeship recovery package was also announced, which included incentives for each new apprenticeship created and payment to employers who returned and retained apprentices who had been placed on furlough. However, barriers to accessing apprenticeships remain despite the Executive’s commitment to the widening of the positions under new Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA. The minimum wage for apprentices in their first year of apprenticeship or under 19 is £4.30 an hour, for those over 19 this rises to £6.56 an hour, £8.36 an hour for those between 21 and 22, and to £8.91 an hour for those aged 23 and over. According to the campaign group the Living Wage Foundation, the real living wage was £9.90 per hour in the UK (not including London) in November 2021. Given the inflation of the first quarter of 2022, this figure will have only risen.

Apprentices at level 2 and 3 over the age of 25 under these plans would thus make £34.65 less than living wage over a 35hour working week, a figure that would only grow the younger the apprentice. Other financial concerns are also high on the list of barriers; research has shown that schoolchildren on free school meals (a proxy for household income) are less likely to take up apprenticeships. Regardless of their age, an apprentice is no longer classed as a dependent, meaning their family may lose benefits such as child benefit, child tax credit, council tax reductions and housing benefit; paired with the meagre wages for young apprentices, this can often mean that families are incurring a financial loss in order for their child to take up a position. The stripping of student status also impacts families financially as it means young apprentices are not eligible for student loans, or free student meals, meaning that further economic strains are placed on those who choose to follow the training path. Along with a general lack of awareness around programmes, lack of transferability and a perceived negative image among some parents, barriers remain to be knocked if Northern Ireland is to truly utilise apprenticeships as key to its economic recovery.

Skills for a green economy Skills and training are “misaligned” to meet the needs of key industries driving a green economy. skills and apprenticeship report

A lack of public awareness, a demand for greater stability and direction through government policy and the need to transition existing industry workforces have been identified as the main crosssectoral challenges in establishing a green economy. In April 2021, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) submitted a report to the UK’s Green Jobs Taskforce, established to set the direction for the job market in the transition to a low carbon economy, setting out the green skills challenges of the three industries with the “most immediate and pressing” decarbonisation targets. Identifying industries serving the areas of home efficiency, automotive and electric vehicles, and clean power, as those in most pressing need, the report assesses that at present, skills and training is misaligned to the needs of key industries. The report adds: “There are serious concerns about the availability of current skills along with the training available to upskill people into the new roles that are emerging. There is also an immediate demand for skills and training due to the short timescales for delivery, which are partly brought on by government targets in industries undergoing decarbonisation.” While each sector will have issues relating to its own specific transition, the CBI

have identified three challenges which apply to all sectors of the green economy for government consideration: Public awareness: Supporting growth of the consumer market and stimulating demand will require huge efforts in educating the public and a stronger brand is needed if individuals are to consider careers in these key sectors. Government policy: While the UK Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution is helpful for business and policy makers in setting a broad vision for priority sector transitions, it “stops short” of offering a full net-zero strategy from government. Without greater certainty, business face risks of the threat of changing government policy but this can be offset by long-term policy commitments and goals. Industry transition: As industry works to prepare their workforces for change, government has a role to support more fundamental retraining of staff in order to retain skills in the labour market.

Education While private training and in-house training will be key drivers to meet more immediate and short-term green skills demand, long-term changes will require education and learning right across the education system. The report adds: “Beyond formal education, the

government should also seek to implement higher levels of technical knowledge that can be delivered via online courses and could encourage routes to more specialist training within sectors. The Government’s Skills Toolkit, rolled out during the pandemic to support online learning, should look to develop content that supports career guidance and transitions into green industries.” Additionally, the report places heavy emphasis on apprenticeships and the related value in supporting new talent and transitions across sectors, highlighting that the existing apprenticeship system “remains too slow to respond to change and it can often take years to develop new standards”.

Declining industries Although referencing the clean energy industry in particular, the report’s emphasis on the need to minimise risk to livelihoods by supporting workers to understand the relevance of their skills to growing green industries is applicable across most sectors. Identifying a skills gap, whereby those working in greener industries tend to be significantly higher than those still working in brown industries, the CBI says: “It will be vital for government to support workers where they are displaced with training, support, and careers guidance so they are able to transition into the ‘leader’ industries.”

Infrastructure report

Digital

Events

planning has been hampered by immediate-term (one- to three-year) budget settlements”.

infrastructure report

“This has inhibited our ability to plan on a multi-year basis and has tended to favour smaller and less strategic investments that can be delivered in the shorter timeframe,” the consultation document states.

An unprecedented approach to longterm infrastructure investment and delivery in Northern Ireland may be at risk over the Executive’s inability to deliver an agreed multi-year budget. In January 2022, prior to the collapse of the Executive, then First Minister Paul Givan MLA and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA published for consultation a draft Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland, a 30-year plan setting out the Executive’s priorities for infrastructure investment. Included in the plan’s proposals is the intended delivery of a rolling 10-year investment plan and a medium-term financial plan before the end of 2022 to reflect both existing commitments and new investment programmed to 2032. These plans are intended to enable the development of detailed departmental investment plans. However, at the basis of the plan is departmental capital planning that goes beyond any budgetary timeframe agreed in Northern Ireland in recent years. Northern Ireland has been largely forced to operate on a series of singleyear budgets, mainly due to successive

collapses of the institutions. In 2021, following on from a commitment in the New Decade, New Approach agreement, the Executive agreed to publish an unagreed draft three-year budget, with the aim of generating discussion and agreement before the end of the current mandate in 2022. However, the resignation of Paul Givan, which effectively ended the Executive’s collective decision-making powers, now means that the Executive’s departments will again be forced to operate on a single-year basis, at least until a new Executive is installed in the next mandate. Failure to deliver on what was to be Northern Ireland’s first multi-annual budget for eight years does not bode well for long-term investment planning. The draft Investment Strategy, produced before the Executive’s collapse, itself acknowledges that in recent years “long-term investment

Despite the Executive’s budgetary challenges to date, a Medium-Term Infrastructure Finance Plan will look to cover a rolling 10-year period, updated each year in line with the Northern Ireland budgetary process. To commence, the plan will require confirmed Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits (CDEL) for all departments and related public bodies in line with committed HM Treasury Spending Review allocations to the Executive. It will also be supplemented by an assumption of indicative capital allocations for years beyond the Northern Ireland Budget and include an assessment of all other sources of public finance.

Ambition The Executive’s vision for infrastructure is that it will “enable everyone to lead a healthy, productive and fulfilling life, and that it will support sustainable economic development and protect our environment”. Highlighting 10 years of investment totalling £14.9 billion (£8,000 per person), the Infrastructure 2050 document acknowledges “significant deficiencies” in existing infrastructure, particularly in the areas of health, housing, water and roads and sets out looming challenges in the shape of demographic changes, digitalisation and climate change. The Strategy sets out five key objectives for investment in the coming decades in the form of: 1. Decarbonising the economy and society. 2. Strengthening and protecting essential services. 3. Building a strong, connected and competitive region. 4. Enhancing communities and places.

Infrastructure spend 2011 – 2021

infrastructure report

5. Maximising benefits from new

ISNI Investment Objectives

technology and innovation. Although no binding commitments are made, the strategy does indicate priorities in relation to its five key objectives. For example, under the decarbonisation objective, plans include the development of a circular economy, expansion of the public rapid EV charging network and investment in coastal erosion adaptation. In response to essential services infrastructure, the strategy set out ambitions to strengthen secondary, primary and mental health through investment and to adopt a wholesystem approach to rationalising and modernising the education estate. Additionally, it pledges to invest in the further transformation of the justice system and increase wastewater treatment capacity. For communities and places, the strategy will seek to redefine the purpose of Northern Ireland’s high streets/urban centres through regeneration investment. Alongside the reallocation of funding and road space to encourage active travel, the Strategy

Oversight

Strategy Northern Ireland (ISNI) board.

Interestingly, accountability for the Executive’s Infrastructure Investment Plan is set to be “sharpened”. While the Executive will have responsibility for strategic oversight of infrastructure investment and will be included on the Executive’s agenda twice per year, scrutiny of delivery of the Investment Plan and Medium-Term Infrastructure Finance Plan will be the remit of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) board, sitting as the Investment

The Strategic Investment Board has the statutory function to develop the Investment Strategy and will provide a secretariat function to both the Ministerial Strategic Oversight Group and the NICS Programme Board.

sets out a commitment to continue to invest in the building of additional housing and refurbishment of existing social homes. In relation to maximising the benefits from emerging technologies, the Strategy says the Executive will: digitise public service access points; upgrade the public service digital infrastructure; take advantage of data analytics and data science; and improve information security and network resilience.

Consultation on the draft Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland will run until 20 April 2022. Following the consultation period, a full analysis report will be prepared for the incoming Executive’s consideration. 59

A resource we can’t afford to waste

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Affordable and sustainable waste infrastructure is key to delivering net zero, writes Jackie Keaney, Commercial Director, Indaver (Ireland and UK). target by 2035 mean we can’t continue to landfill our black bin waste.

The importance of self-sufficiency has come into sharp focus recently as the energy crisis exposes how vulnerable we are to global energy markets. At the same time, we are facing a climate change crisis which requires a rapid decarbonisation of our economy. The UK Government and Northern Ireland Assembly have committed to delivering ‘net zero’ by 2050. We must therefore urgently adopt policies and deliver infrastructure which supports this target, and which ensures robust security of energy supply during the transition. Affordable and sustainable waste infrastructure is key to delivering net zero and should be viewed as water infrastructure is, an essential prerequisite to sustainable economic development. It ensures self-sufficiency and maximises our waste’s value locally instead of exporting that value overseas due to the lack of such infrastructure. The strategic need for waste infrastructure has long been recognised in central and local government waste management strategies and other policies. New climate change and circular economy targets only strengthen that need, as do the latest waste trends which suggest we are on target for over 1.1 million tonnes of household waste generated this year – an all-time high. Circular economy targets which place a 10 per cent maximum cap on landfill and set an ambitious 65 per cent recycling

Yet approximately a quarter of our waste still ends up in landfill at an estimated annual cost to ratepayers of £30 million. Furthermore, it is conservatively estimated that local councils spend between £18 million and £20 million per annum exporting waste much of which fuels Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities abroad. Relying on export markets is increasingly risky and expensive due to increasing import taxes being levied and growing transport costs, never mind the sustainability, environmental and reputational concerns this practice raises. The need for new waste infrastructure has been reinforced in the latest NI Investment Strategy. It states: “Too much of our waste is exported each year to become someone else’s opportunity to recycle into higher-value material, generate energy; or unfortunately in some cases, to become someone else’s disposal problem...we will need to invest in and develop a more coherent, robust and resilient waste management system for the whole of the region.” While a welcome restatement of longstanding policy objectives these words need to be backed up by action. The proposed arc21 residual waste treatment project to serve the needs of six Northern Ireland councils and its 1.1 million ratepayers, is one such critical action that needs progressed urgently. The integrated infrastructure has the potential to increase recycling by up to 10 per cent by extracting valuable materials from black bin waste and create energy from the remaining non-recyclable waste. It will support net zero targets by the reduction of approximately 57,500 tonnes CO2 equivalent per annum compared to

sending waste to landfill. The project will directly contribute to Northern Ireland renewable energy targets and bolster our security of energy supply, complementing intermittent renewables when the wind doesn’t blow. It will generate enough electricity to power 30,000 homes, unlocking the energy contained within our indigenous waste locally, rather than exporting that benefit overseas. This ends the current irrational situation where Northern Ireland waste is being exported to generate power abroad while at the same time, we continue to import fossil fuels to meet local energy demands. EfW technologies provide the lowest carbon solution for black bin waste and generate indigenous, low carbon electricity and heat which can support other industries. Indaver are already exploring additional decarbonisation benefits such as hydrogen production and district heating schemes that the project can unlock, further enhancing its climate change contribution. We cannot continue to bury or export our waste problem and should instead view it as a resource we can’t afford to waste.

Find out more at: www.becon.co.uk

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Decarbonising transport Northern Ireland’s Regional Transport Strategy is outdated and must be replaced by a green transport policy which reflects the aim of a carbon neutral transport system, a Stormont inquiry to explore the future pathway to decarbonising road transport in Northern Ireland has suggested.

Transport is Northern Ireland’s second highest greenhouse gas emitting sector, estimated to represent around 20 per cent of emissions, behind agriculture’s 26 per cent. However, unlike the other high emitting sectors of agriculture and energy generation, which continue to decrease emissions since 1990 baseline figures, transport emissions continue to grow and are up an estimated 21.5 per cent since 1990. Unsurprisingly, the majority of emissions in transport are from petrol and diesel in road transport.

In response to the UK’s proposals, the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Infrastructure Committee launched an inquiry into decarbonising Northern Ireland’s road transport, a report on which was subsequently published in November 2021.

In June 2019, the UK passed the Climate Change Act introducing a net zero target by 2050 and this was subsequently followed by Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) in July 2021, with a heavy focus on road transport. Prior to the TDP, the UK Government had already committed to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 but the plan added to this by proposing to phase out the sale of new diesel and petrol heavy goods vehicles by 2040.

In 2015, a report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office assessing the Regional Transportation Strategy (2002) concluded that a desired modal shift had not been achieved, recommending higher levels of investment and innovation. While recent years have seen a reduction in the gap between expenditure in public transport and active travel narrowed, evidence to the committee’s inquiry suggests that short-term targeted investment on the existing network, enhancements to active travel

Critical to tackling emissions in transport in Northern Ireland is addressing Northern Ireland’s car dependency. Between 2017 to 2019, over 70 per cent of all journeys were taken by car, a car dependency legacy which has spanned over 20 years.

To this end, the committee report suggests that “the current Regional Transportation Strategy is outdated and needs to be replaced by a green transport policy that reflects the aim of a carbon neutral transport system in Northern Ireland”. Adding that such a strategy must clearly map out how a modal shift to public transport and active travel will contribute to achieving this goal. At the end of 2021, the Department for the Economy published Northern Ireland’s long-term Energy Strategy and followed this up with an action plan for 2002. Under one of the five key principles of the strategy, do more with less, the strategy pledges to develop and deliver a local Transport Strategy by the end of 2022/23. Additionally, the strategy outlines the need to create a roadmap to a cleaner, greener transport system to support the transition to electric vehicles over the next decade. To this end, the Executive has committed to delivering an EV Charging Infrastructure Plan in 2022 and review how lowering carbon emissions from transport can assist with decarbonisation plans and monitor progress. The committee’s report emphasises the timely need for publication and implementation of plans, recognising that despite significant volumes of evidence, finalisation and stakeholder engagement could take time. Interestingly, the report raises questions around whether the Department has the

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infrastructure and a greater focus on behavioural change programmes can deliver more immediate impacts than significant investment in, for example, expanding the railway and Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) networks.

expertise resource to deliver such plans. The report asks: “Should a new branch, dedicated to transport decarbonisation and built around experienced personnel be set up to deliver these proposed measures?”

Ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) and infrastructure On ultra-low emission vehicles, for which Northern Ireland has the lowest penetration in the whole of the UK, the report suggests that the introduction of support measures, as has been done to success in other parts of Europe, should be explored. Northern Ireland has the lowest number of both standard (300) and rapid (20) charging points of any UK region. The ratio of 17 and 1.1 per 100,000 respectively, is significantly lower than the European Commission recommendation of one public recharging point per 10 electric vehicles. On addressing barriers to ULEV take up, including the inadequacy of Northern Ireland’s public transport network, even to meet current demand the report acknowledges work underway by the Department to identify what charging infrastructure will be required and stresses the importance of engagement with EV owners. Emphasising the need for a plan to be brought forward addressing the condition of the current network and the extent of the required expansion up to 2030, it says: “This will be critical both to ensure an operational network for existing EV adopters and to allay doubts held by prospective new EV users.” 63

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The power of water so, fast forward the recognition that, collectively, we need to speed up the transition away from our dependence on fossil fuels. That transition had already begun because of climate change. What the invasion has done is crystallise the economic and political reasons why we need to move faster, the reasons why Northern Ireland needs to create its own indigenous energy system, using its own natural resources to deliver power that we can reliably depend on, and afford.

Head of Energy at NI Water Damien O’Mullan; NI Water’s Chief Executive Sara Venning and Director of Business at NI Water, Alistair Jinks.

The volatility of Northern Ireland’s fossil fuel dependence to global challenges is emphasising the need to quicken the transition to renewables and NI Water has an important role to play in a future green economy. Sometimes the world moves faster than we think. Events occur that crystallise long-term trends into a few short weeks rather than the months and years we had been expecting. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is one such event. First and foremost it dislocated the lives of millions of Ukrainian families who have suffered terribly. It has also recast geopolitics and, in particular, the global energy market and that has implications for everyone, including here in Northern Ireland. 64

Even before the invasion, global energy prices had rocketed causing huge problems both for individual consumers and for organisations such as NI Water, Northern Ireland’s largest electricity user. Because the price we pay for electricity is currently tied to the global gas market that has inevitably meant a huge, unplanned rise in costs which, equally inevitably, has put considerable pressure on the budget. The invasion is only likely to increase that pressure even more and, in doing

We need to protect ourselves and our economy from the volatility of the fossil fuel market as well as end the threat it poses to our environment. The need to address climate change and economic necessity now point in the same direction. We need to make the transition to a renewable energy system sooner rather than later. But we also need to use the transition as an opportunity to power the 10X economy in Northern Ireland by driving green growth, building the skills and experience to compete globally in the cluster of zero carbon, transport, energy and agri-food. In Northern Ireland, we are fortunate to have the natural resources to be able to do that and the opportunity to harness those resources as part of a common plan which focuses the efforts of government, the private sector and utilities such as NI Water to make the change a reality. In November 2021, we published our roadmap setting out how NI Water could use its assets to help make the transition through a combination of technical innovation, collaboration with government, the other utilities and the regulator, and the right sense of urgency. Ukraine has only increased that need to act sooner rather than later, but the work we have done since November has also highlighted the further potential for innovation and collaboration.

The key challenge both in terms of decarbonisation and ending our economic dependence on fossil fuels is to create an energy system which mirrors the benefits fossil fuels historically delivered, without the downsides both in terms of the environment and cost.

That requires both an increase in the overall supply of renewable energy, and better ways to store and use it to even out the balance between that supply and demand. NI Water can help with both generating more renewable energy and its storage. With 11,000 hectares of land we have the space to take advantage of Northern Ireland’s biggest energy resource, the wind. Constructing wind farms to take advantage of that resource would allow NI Water not just to reduce our demand on the rest of the electricity system, but also to considerably reduce our operating costs on an on-going basis, so lessening our burden on the taxpayer and the Executive’s yearly budget.

Hydrogen Installing electrolysers at our waste water treatment plants could also help use, store and apply our renewable energy resource more efficiently throughout our economy. The green hydrogen electrolysis produces could be used to help our transport system make the transition from diesel, helping our buses go green as well our tractors and lorries. It could also be used in our gas network to help it make the transition, as well as to power the backup generators the renewable energy system will require to balance supply and demand. But electrolysis can also help drive another key element of the 10X economy, the ability for our towns and cities to grow organically. At present, because of an historic failure to invest, that ability is constrained by a lack of capacity at our waste water treatment works. As well as green hydrogen, electrolysis also produces oxygen which could be

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That means creating a system which guarantees security of supply at an affordable price. The challenge for renewable energy is how to do that when the natural resources it depends on aren’t there, when the sun doesn’t shine, and the wind doesn’t blow.

Dunore Solar Farm.

used to increase the capacity of existing treatment plants so increasing the potential for growth in housing and business development. NI Water carried out and successfully completed a 10KW electrolyser pilot last autumn at Kinnegar and is now testing the potential for further deployment with a bigger scale 1MW demonstrator model in Belfast. We are also exploring the potential to use our reservoirs as large energy stores which could be deployed during prolonged periods when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun shining. The water is pumped to higher ground when, as at night-time, there is surplus capacity from wind-farms and then released when needed by the electricity network. NI Water will continue to develop these and other schemes to help Northern Ireland make the transition from fossil fuels to a totally renewable energy system. But as the Power of Water report last autumn recognised, they will only be successful as part of a common plan for Northern Ireland which integrates NI Water’s approach with that of the Executive, government departments, the regulator, the other utilities and the private sector. We all need to align both our thinking and what we do in practice. A combination of technology, digitalisation and our joint need to meet the challenges of climate change and the energy crisis means not just that there is a necessity to do so, but also an opportunity to harness the synergies

Alistair Jinks, Director of Business at NI Water.

that working together could deliver for the 10X economy. That means changing not just how we think and operate as utilities, but also the priorities we are set by government and how we are funded to deliver those. There are clear signs that government here in Northern Ireland recognises that and NI Water will do all we can to help turn that recognition into practical reality.

W: www.niwater.com

infrastructure report

Infrastructure: A shared island Through its Shared Island Fund, the Irish Government has committed to making €500 million in capital funding available out to 2025 for investment in collaborative north/south projects, including infrastructure aimed at building a more connected Ireland.

In December 2021, Taoiseach Micheál Martin marked one year of the Shared Island Initiative with a week of events surveying the work that has been done and remains to be done through government investment. Key to the building of a more connected Ireland are the infrastructure projects being undertaken with funding from the Government’s Shared Island Fund and other sources. All-island investment was one of the more notable revisions within the Irish Government’s revised National Development Plan (NDP) published in October 2021, where a commitment to allocating ring-fenced capital resourcing for all-Ireland investment to 2030 “at least at the current level of the Shared Island Fund”. Shared island investment priorities in the NDP include:

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the creation of an Ireland-wide greenway network;

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the enhancement of rail connectivity;

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coordinated investment in the rollout of electric vehicle charging networks;

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funding all-island climate actions;

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enhancing support for all-Ireland enterprise development;

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the creation of new all-island research centres; and

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the further development of thirdlevel education infrastructure in the north west; and new cross-border infrastructure built and natural heritage initiatives.

Ulster Canal Thus far, the Shared Island Fund has been allocated to numerous infrastructure projects, chief among them the revitalisation of the Ulster Canal. In April 2021, the Irish Government announced over €12 million in funding for Phase 2 of the Ulster Canal, supported by €6 million from the Shared Island Fund. The Ulster Canal runs through counties Armagh, Fermanagh, Tyrone, and Monaghan, but the last boat sailed on the waterway in 1931. The project aims to reopen the canal between Clones and Clonfad, County Monaghan. Funding from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund and from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was also secured to progress the project. A further €1 million from the Shared Island Fund has been approved to undertake the feasibility and preconstruction stages for Phase 3 of the restoration project.

Narrow Water Bridge Also funded is the Narrow Water Bridge project, brought to tender by a July 2021 allocation of €3 million from the Shared Island Fund. The project is a longstanding commitment of the Irish Government and is a key commitment of the New Decade, New Approach agreement. The Taoiseach has committed to providing further funding once final costs for the project are determined.

Planning permission is in place for a distinctive 280-metre cable stayed bridge, anchored by two towers at either end, for car or cycle traffic. It will connect the A2 Newry to Warrenpoint dual carriageway with the R173 Omeath and will have the ability to open to allow for passage of ships through and on to the Newry Canal.

Subject to all the required processes, construction of the project to begin 2023.

A5 Both the Irish Government’s Programme for Government and the revised National Development Plan includes a commitment to develop the A5 transport corridor. To date, the Irish Government has committed €75 million, first mooted in 2007, to the project but no financial allocation has yet been made through the Shared Island Fund. In March 2021, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon MLA reaffirmed her commitment to the A5 Western Transport Corridor Scheme while publishing a report on the proceedings of an inquiry from the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC). A proposed new multi-million-pound A5 dual carriageway linking Derry to Aughnacloy in County Tyrone was one of the first major announcements of the new Executive in 2007. However, the project has suffered a number of setbacks, including planning errors and legal challenges. On recommendation of the PAC, a fourth public inquiry is set to be reconvened later in 2022.

Also, yet to be allocated funding of note from the Shared Island Fund is the recently announced All-island Strategic Rail Review. Jointly launched by the Irish Government’s Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD and Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon MLA in April 2021, the review seeks to examine the potential for high-speed rail and shaping and developing the rail network across Ireland.

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Set to provide access to a range of cross border active travel and recreational activities including greenways, mountain bike trails, walking routes and beaches, it has been proposed that development and delivery of the project should be overseen by a new subgroup of the North-South Infrastructure Group, comprising Louth County Council and Newry Mourne and Down District Council.

All-island Strategic Rail Review

The Strategic Rail Review will consider the rail network on the island of Ireland with regard to: improving sustainable connectivity between the major cities (including the potential for high-/higher speed); enhancing regional accessibility; supporting balanced regional development and considering rail connectivity to international gateways – sea and air ports, which will include examining the role of rail freight.

Research One of the more significant allocations from the Shared Island Fund has been the €40 million pledged to the NorthSouth Research Programme in July 2021. The programme will “support the deepening of links between higher education institutions, researchers, and research communities on the island of Ireland, delivering all-island approaches to research and innovation, and [is] open to all disciplines and research areas”. This comprehensive approach to research has already borne fruit with the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) having published a series of secretariat papers on the shared island concept as well as a report on collaboration on climate and biodiversity; the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has also published research on increasing cooperation, cross-border trade in services and foreign direct investment on both sides of the border. The NESC and ESRI plan to publish a comprehensive report to government on the Shared Island initiative and a report on education and healthcare respectively in 2022.

Sharon Smyth, Construction and Procurement Delivery; Noleen Bohill, Belfast City Council; Linda O’Hare, Business Services Organisation; Noel Brady, Consult Nb1; Lindsay Maguire, Cabinet Office and Ed Green, Cabinet Office

Northern Ireland Procurement Conference The Northern Ireland Procurement Conference recently took place in the Europa Hotel, Belfast on Thursday 24th March. The event brought together 200 procurement professionals who gained an insight into what effective public procurement means for organisations in Northern Ireland. Expert speakers included Sharon Smyth, Construction and Procurement Delivery; Linda O’Hare, Business Services Organisation; Lindsay Maguire and Ed Green, Cabinet Office; Hugh Carr, Scotland Excel and Karen Rodgers, Farrans Construction. A massive thank you to our conference exhibitors, speakers and delegates who joined us and made the conference a huge success.

Sharon Smyth, Construction and Procurement Delivery, addressing delegates

Northern Ireland Procurement delegates

Geoff Murphy and Michael Heery, Northern Ireland Audit Office

Patrick Minne, CO3 and Orla Ward, 21 Training

Tony Murphy, Education Authority; Clive Stewart, Invest Northern Ireland; Noel Brady, Consult Nb1; Karen Rodgers, Farrans Construction and Hugh Carr, Scotland Excel

Dean Campbell, Northern Ireland Water with Lewis Murray, Belfast City Council

Clarification: An integral part of the procurement process that should be sought from the authority. It can flag up potential issues that may arise both within the tender process and within the lifetime of the contract. It allows early resolution and seeks to avoid, or at least minimise, procurement challenges either at the award stage or on the amendment of contracts during their lifetime. Tenders should be mindful that the time limit to issue a procurement challenge is generally 30 days from the date of deemed or actual knowledge. This generally means that issues arising in respect of the structure of tender cannot be raised at the time of standstill letter as they will be out of time. This further strengthens the importance of proper due diligence at the time of tender and can in some cases mean that proceedings must be issued before a tender has even been submitted.

Early clarification of procedures reduces procurement challenges in Northern Ireland, says Lisa Boyd, Partner at Gateley Tweed.

Inevitably, clarification and due diligence of tender documentation by tenderers will not eliminate all procurement challenges but it could help to reduce them. Gateley Tweed is running a series of free webinars on public procurement, primarily aimed at the tenderer perspective, to increase the

Often tenderers don’t raise clarification queries for fear of “annoying” those later responsible for assessing their bids. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The purpose of clarification is firstly, to ensure that tenderers have all the correct information and, secondly, to allow authorities opportunity to address any deficiencies before it gets too far along the road. Tenderers often know the service better than those procuring it and therefore are better placed to identify issues. Clarification is therefore an integral part of the procurement process and one that tenderers should fully engage in and not wait to see the results first. No one would be surprised that authorities take advice on procurement

procedures, strategies, contracts and documentation before going to tender. However, many tenderers set about reviewing tender documentation worth multi-millions themselves without any legal input. Commercial entities are unlikely to do this when contracting with another commercial entity so why take a different approach when entering a contract with a public sector body.

understanding of the tendering process. Please register at www.gateleyplc.com/publicprocurement-webinars for further information.

Lisa Boyd, Partner T: 07706 320 748 E: lisa.boyd@gateleytweed.com

An early legal review of tender documentation and contracts can be a useful tool to identify clarification queries

W: www.gateleyplc.com

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Planning for recovery and growth Planning has a critical role in not only supporting sustainable and inclusive recovery but also positioning Northern Ireland for future growth, says Northern Ireland’s Chief Planner, Angus Kerr. The Director of Regional Planning is adamant that the planning profession and planning system has a key role to play in the region’s green recovery. Acknowledging criticism that has been levelled at the planning system both preand post-pandemic, Kerr is quick to highlight a context of the biggest change to planning in Northern Ireland in over 40 years. “There is no doubt that it took time for us all to get to grips with our new roles and responsibilities after the transfer of 70

planning functions to local government and the creation of the new two-tier planning system,” he says, while also highlighting the impact of a three-year absence of ministers and the complexities of the Buick judgement. “Just when we had begun to get things back on an even keel and begun to make some progress, the global pandemic hit, bringing with it stresses and strains for those of us delivering public services.” In the context of these challenges, the Chief Planner says that “it is perhaps not

surprising” that the recent Northern Ireland Audit Office report was heavily critical of the operation of the planning system and identified areas for improvement. However, welcoming the report, Kerr says he is looking forward to getting to grips with further improving the system. “I really believe we now have an opportunity to build on the changes that have already taken place and to use these to focus for our recovery and future growth,” he states.

Outlining some of the work underway in the Department to improve things across the planning system, Kerr points to the publication of the first review of the implementation of the Planning Act (NI) 2011, the recommendations from which are likely to shape the Department’s work and the planning system, both in the immediate future and well into the next mandate. While the review declared that the vast majority of provisions within the Planning Act have been implemented, it also identified many issues with how the new planning system is working in practice and ways to improve the system going forward. In total, 16 recommendations were made, and Kerr says that working through these recommendations will be key in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning system. Kerr stresses that progress around the review of the Act has not been the only ongoing work to improve planning performance. Pointing to departmental work to improve processes and increase the efficiency of the planning system to ensure that planning applications are processed in a timely manner, he says that while there are many factors impacting on the overall performance of the planning system, often it is statutory consultee response times which are cited as a core reason for delay. “As a department we wanted to explore this further and following an independent review we established a crossgovernment planning forum to implement recommendations made into the role of statutory consultees in the planning process. The forum has already delivered 19 of its 30 key actions, including a focus on improving processes and timeframes for major and economically significant applications and improving the pre-application discussion process,” he explains, adding that work of the forum is ongoing and also under review in terms of expanding and developing its future role.

IT system Another area identified by Kerr, where work in progress will support immediate recovery and longer-term growth, is the planned introduction of a new shared regional planning IT system, replacing the Northern Ireland Planning Portal.

Kerr describes the system, which is on schedule to be delivered by the end of summer/autumn 2022, as a “unique and challenging” opportunity.

engagement in the planning process at both the regional and local planning levels, will deliver greater inclusivity in planning.

“This is a transformative project, as we seek to drive planning online in this digital age,” he emphasises.

Local development plans

Identifying a range of benefits expected to be brought to the wider planning system, the Chief Planner points to: •

placing paperless submissions at the heart of the business model;

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improved validation and workflows;

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more efficient processing of applications;

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better and easier citizen engagement through improved user experience and functionality; and

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a more reliable and robust IT system through a cloud-based planning website and back-office system.

Engagement Stressing that progress in planning goes beyond process-orientated improvements, Kerr says that how people experience and engage planning has also been a key focus. The Chief Planner believes that a soon to be published report, the outcome of a planning engagement partnership established by the Infrastructure Minister in October 2020 to assess how to enhance the quality and depth of community

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“I really believe we now have an opportunity to build on the changes that have already taken place and to use these to focus for our recovery and future growth.”

Returning to planning’s role in supporting the green recovery, Kerr reiterates that the pandemic has highlighted the need for effective long-term planning to support social and economic wellbeing. To this end, he believes that it is now more important than ever that local development plans (LDP) policies implement regional policy “in ways that acknowledge the new reality”. Welcoming recent direction from the Department for Belfast City Council to adopt their LDP (subject to modification/recommendations made by the Planning Appeals Commission), he says that a substantial programme of work is being taken forward as the remaining LDPs pass through the various stages of the process. However, he acknowledges that the LDP system “will remain in its infancy” until such time as the Department can boast a number of plans have passed through to adoption. “We recognise that progress of development plan documents has not been as fast moving as initially expected, but we anticipate that timescales will become more streamlined as the system matures,” he states.

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infrastructure report Green growth Outlining that close engagement from officials in his department with the Department for the Economy on the development of the recently published Energy Strategy and subsequent action plan, as confirmation of a commitment to review permitted development regulations to consider domestic air source and ground heat pumps, Kerr also points to a planned review of strategic planning policy for renewable and low carbon energy, informed by a recently closed issue paper consultation.

assessment (EIA) training and a further 29 have undertaken advanced training, with representation spanning all 11 councils and the department. As part of this work, the Department is developing a suite of practice notes, focused on key impacts of the EIA processes, the first of which was published in December 2021. Concluding, Kerr says that evidently planners and the planning system have much to offer in regard to recovery and future growth. “We acknowledge that there is still much

Internally, the Department continues to deliver its Environmental Governance Work Programme (EGWP), which aims to enhance good practice and ensure planning authorities continue to understand and meet environmental obligations and ultimately promote and increase good, environmentally sound decision-making.

we need to do together to build a better

Kerr explains that to date 135 staff have undertaken core environmental impact

recovery and longer-term economic,

planning system that delivers for all stakeholders, and we also know, perhaps more than most, just how complex and challenging that task is,” he states. “We will continue to build on the work done to date to ensure that planning continues to provide a foundation for social and environmental growth.”

public affairs agenda

TRADE UNION DESK P&O: A perfectly legal scandal A scandal is not an interruption of business as usual, rather it is a revelation of it, writes the ICTU’s John O’Farrell. Despite complaints from some, the appalling treatment of P&O workers by its Gulf owners, DP World, would not have been prevented if we were still in the EU, nor if the Tories had supported Labour’s bill to outlaw ‘hire and fire’ last autumn, nor if Gerry Carroll MLA’s Trade Union Freedom Bill had passed in the Assembly’s mandate. Almost certainly, P&O acted legally, and that is the real problem. The workers were employed on ships registered in Cyprus, the Bahamas, or Bermuda, and employed by three Jersey-based arms of P&O Ferries. A very similar outrage was imposed upon the employees of Irish Ferries in 2004, when local staff were summarily dispensed with and replaced by workers technically employed through a third-party agency. Seafarers have many similar tales, and it is very common for fishermen working out of harbours in Northern Ireland to be employed through the Philippines, Egypt, or Ukraine, as ‘residence’ is a movable feast when outside territorial waters. So, there is the precarious, cold, occasionally lethal work of ‘off-shore’ labour for the crew of a ship, or the absurdly rewarded and cosseted world of

‘off-shore’ for lawyers, accountants and financial advisors who facilitate tax havens, often in sight of those working on boats; the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, or warmer boltholes for money and reputation such as Cyprus, the Bahamas or Bermuda. What tax havens offer to the rich and unscrupulous is “politically stable facilities to help people or entities get around the rules, laws and regulations of jurisdictions elsewhere”, as defined by Nicholas Shaxson in his 2011 book Treasure Islands (and reviewed in agendaNi). So, while these havens transfer billions from tax authorities to the already wealthy, they also offer discretion, safe from the prying eyes of the press (apart from the odd explosive leak, soon forgotten) or the laws of democratic assemblies, but that shouldn’t prevent us from cleaning up our corners of the stable. What the UK needs is fresh legislation, as the TUC demanded of Parliament after the P&O heist and as NIC-ICTU has been seeking of MLAs and Northern Ireland parties. We want it as a priority for the incoming Executive and its Programme

for Government, if and when a new Executive is formed after the May election. We in NIC-ICTU strongly support clause X page 44 of the New Decade, New Approach agreement on workers’ rights, an agreement that all parties signed up to. This clause, and its intentions, must form the basis of any Employment Bill, otherwise it will not receive the support of workers and we would reserve our right to lobby and campaign against such a bill if it does not adequately address serious gaps in our employment law once and for all. As Christopher Hitchens noted, a scandal is not an interruption of business as usual, rather it is a revelation of it. The only surprise we are entitled to feel is that we can still be occasionally shocked by the brutality of unregulated business and the unconstrained selfishness of the global elite which our populists are not too concerned about. If we can create a decent landscape across these islands and this continent, then we can challenge the toxic influence and dark money of ‘off-shore’.

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Leading women Suzanne Wylie Former Belfast City Council Chief Executive and now CEO of the Government of Jersey, Suzanne Wylie, talks to David Whelan about her challenging new role, the importance of supporting female leaders and her formative years in Northern Ireland’s largest city. As one of Northern Ireland’s most powerful public servants, up until very recently, Suzanne Wylie recognises that she is one of a select few women bucking the trend of gender inequality in senior leadership roles across the public sector. Undoubtedly, she says, things are changing, as she offers examples of the recent appointment of Jayne Brady as the new Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and the role of Grainia Long at the helm of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. However, work must continue to enhance diversity across public life if decision-making is to deliver better outcomes for the whole of the population, she believes.

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In 2014, Wylie became Belfast City Council’s first female Chief Executive, later in February 2022, she took up post as the Government of Jersey’s first female Chief Executive. In doing so, she possesses a self-awareness of the influence senior female leaders like herself can have on the aspirations of others. “Given that we do not have enough women in public life, I think every woman in a position of leadership should see themselves as a role model,” she states. “We all need to be thinking about how we can use our experience to help those who aspire to become leaders across all walks of life and how they can be supported to see what that looks and feels like.”

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I think every woman in a position of leadership should see themselves as a role model. The Chief Executive advocates for females across public life to be courageous in taking on new challenges and in being willing to take the next step. In doing so, females can look upon Wylie’s own career as someone who has wilfully met the challenges of new roles head on. The Jersey Chief Executive has over 30 years of public service experience, having started her career as an environmental health officer in Belfast City Council in 1988. In 2010, Wylie became Director of Health and Environmental Services and in 2014, her appointment as Chief Executive coincided with sweeping reforms to local government. Under her leadership, the Council has accomplished a number of feats, not least successfully managing the transition of some planning powers to local level, the 2017 publication and subsequent reviews of the city’s first community plan in the form of the Belfast Agenda and signing of the Belfast Region City Deal in 2021. Wylie is quick to point out that she alone was not responsible for the Council’s success to date. To this end, she emphasises to aspirational leaders the importance surrounding yourself with support when taking on new roles. “We often make too much of single-person leadership and in doing so I think we are setting people up to fail if their mindset is geared this way. At Belfast City Council, how we worked as a team was critical to the successes we delivered. We were on a joint mission.

“I was delighted to hear that John Walsh, a very important part of our team, has been appointed as the Council’s new CEO. As a friend and a former colleague, I know that John possesses an understanding of how the organisation works best and brings with him the skills and a fresh approach to best lead the organisation going forward and ultimately, deliver the best outcomes.” Reflecting on her time at the helm of the Council, Wylie is cognisant that through her appointment, she was handed the responsibility of delivering a major step change at a time of local government reform. “As a council, and I include the political side as well as the official sides of the Council, Belfast City Council was and continues to be very ambitious. Reform of local government presented so many opportunities, many of which we grasped. However, I think many more opportunities exist going forward.” The former Chief Executive admits to meeting some frustrations in her time in charge. “We did not have all the tools that would have made it easier to deliver more quickly, for example, regeneration powers and responsibilities remained with central government. Additionally, the absence of a wider understanding of the role of Belfast continues to be a frustration. Belfast is important to the whole of Northern Ireland both economically and socially. That needs to be recognised. It is not, as is often portrayed ‘Belfast takes all’ and there needs to be a much more sophisticated conversation around the role of the city in delivering the right development and economic growth across Northern Ireland.”

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Finally, describing relationships between the Civil Service, central government, and local government as “a work in progress”, Wylie believes that while challenges in this regard also exist in other jurisdictions, “in a small place like Northern Ireland it is even more important that we continue to develop those relationships”. She adds: “All of the stakeholders are trying to deliver the same outcomes, those outcomes set out in the Programme for Government. Local government is responsible for delivering those outcomes at a local level and so that partnership approach is critical to assessing what is best delivered locally and what is better designated to a regional approach.” Jersey

Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands between England and France, has introduced a new political system and in June 2022, will hold its first elections under the system, abolishing the role of senators and replacing them with 37 deputies elected across nine districts. To date, political parties aiming to debut in the election are still being formed. Wylie is aware of the uniqueness of the situation on the island, which is a self-governing Crown Dependency, however, she also believes her time in Northern Ireland has equipped her with a range of skills which are suited to meeting the challenge.

Although boasting a population only one sixth of Belfast’s, Jersey has its own financial, legal, and judicial systems, as well as the power of selfdetermination. Despite being a crown dependency, with English as its first language and continuing use of sterling, the island is not part of the United Kingdom and is financially independent. “The political situation is an interesting one and will require a lot of work post-election. In some ways it is very different from what Belfast City Council was but in others, there is a similarity in my role. With no party in ultimate majority, my role is to facilitate as much consensus as possible, so that decisions are taken for the best outcome for the people of the island,” she explains. “The political dynamic is similar from a public service point of view in that we will seek to provide the right policy options and investment options for

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Jersey’s economy is much different from that of Belfast’s, the island’s economy is dominated by a large financial services industry, generating around 40 per cent of its GVA, however, as Wylie explains, much like Northern Ireland, the island faces a skills challenge to meet its future ambitions, with a focus needed on attracting and retaining young people on the island. She adds: “The large financial services industry is a different construct than that which exists in Belfast but there’s a similar opportunity to explore in diversifying the sector with much more integration of technology and growing the tech sector here in Jersey.” Although when speaking, Wylie was only six weeks into the role, she expressed her excitement at not only getting to grips with the various challenges but also offering her insight and putting her stamp in public service delivery.

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Wylie is adamant that she was not proactively searching for a completely new role when she was approached about the availability of the job as Chief Executive and Head of the Public Service in Jersey, however, acting on her own advice she offers to aspiring female leaders, she saw the new opportunity as one difficult to turn down.

the best outcomes. Interestingly, I can already see that in an island like Jersey, identity, heritage, culture, and traditions are incredibly important and that is something I aim to bring my experience to.”

We often make too much of single-person leadership and in doing so I think we are setting people up to fail if their mindset is geared this way Concluding on whether she would be summoning inspiration from any female role models of her own in facing fresh challenges, she says: “I have always had role models, but I try to steer away from trying to emulate one single person. Instead, I often look to what skills and attributes a person had that I felt best resonated with me.

“I worked with Marie-Thérèse McGivern when she was Director of Development at Belfast City Council. She was a bundle of positive energy who pushed boundaries and I learnt a lot for her. “However, it would be wrong of me to suggest that I take my learnings from females alone. One of my first bosses Brian Hanna, who went on to be the Council’s Chief Executive, taught me a lot. From a very early point in my career, Brian encouraged me to go beyond the job description, to try and test new things and importantly, he offered me support to do that.” And she credits her immediate predecessor, Peter McNaney, with demonstrating the value of clarity of purpose and nurturing talent. “I think it is also important to point out that you do not always need to be looking up as you build your skills and attributes. I was amazed by the innovation and motivation that came from all parts of our team in Belfast City Council. “My advice to aspirational leaders is to add a mix of attributes to your own arsenal, rather than try and emulate an individual.”

Profile: Suzanne Wylie Suzanne Wylie began her career with Belfast City Council in 1988 as an environmental health officer, before becoming Director of Health and Environmental Services and the Council's first female Chief Executive in 2014. She took up her post as Chief Executive and head of the Public Services for the State of Jersey in February 2022. A fan of eating out, Suzanne is an advocate of the culinary scene in Belfast and Jersey. A known-avid cycler, she admits that the hilly terrain of Jersey was influential in her recent switch to an electric bike. When not on two wheels, Suzanne likes to wind down with yoga or long walks.

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Christopher Stalford: 1983-2022 Northern Ireland lost a “dedicated public servant and a devoted family man” upon the sudden passing of DUP MLA Christopher Stalford in February 2022. A councillor in his early twenties and an MLA in his early thirties, Stalford had been earmarked as a future leader of political unionism. A native of the Annadale Flats in south Belfast, Christopher Stalford was educated at Wellington College Belfast and Queen’s University Belfast. Upon graduation, Stalford split time between the European office of then-DUP MEP Jim Allister and the Stormont office of Peter Weir MLA. Stalford was already making a name for himself by this time, having been elected to Belfast City Council in 2005, at the age of 22, representing the now-defunct Laganbank ward. Upon the abolition of Laganbank, Stalford was re-elected to represent Balmoral in 2014. It was during his time as a councillor that Stalford developed his reputation as a politician dedicated to procedure. During his time on Belfast City Council, Stalford served as High Sheriff of Belfast in 2010, making him the city’s youngest ever High Sheriff at 27, and as Deputy Lord Mayor from 2013-2014. Earmarked from early on as a potential future leader of the DUP, Stalford made the transition from council to Assembly when he was elected to represent his native Belfast South constituency in 2016, at 33 years of age. Again, his eye for detail and procedure came to the fore in the Assembly, where was named Principal Deputy Speaker in January 2020, a position he held until his untimely death.

Despite predictions of future leadership, Stalford referred to himself as an “Arlene ultra” in 2017 and stated his hope that then-DUP leader Foster would still be DUP leader “in 30 years’ time”. When Foster’s leadership was ended in 2021, Stalford was seen to be a close ally of personal friend Edwin Poots MLA, who succeeded Foster but was then deposed himself just 21 days later, leading to questions about the political future of both the Agriculture Minister and those close to him.

Given their close friendship, it is perhaps fitting that Poots has been co-opted to fill Stalford’s Belfast South seat at the request of his widow, Laura. A committed public representative who discussed the possibility of a return to council level during the Assembly’s three-year absence, Stalford will be remembered in the halls of Stormont and City Hall as an anorak, to whom procedure was sacrosanct. He is survived by Laura and their four children.

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Alex Easton MLA

Political Platform

Alex Easton is an MLA for North Down. In July 2021, he quit the DUP, a party he had been a member of for 21 years just hours after the ratification of current party leader Jeffrey Donaldson MP, and has announced his intention to run in May’s Assembly election as an independent.

Outline your background / career to date

Groomsport and before joining politics I formerly worked for the health service.

I am 52 years old, married with one daughter and two grandchildren. I am a Ballymagee resident and attended Kilmaine Primary School and Gransha Boys High School. I worship at Ballyholme Church of Ireland and I am a member of the Orange Order. I am a former councillor for Ballyholme and

What inspired you to get into politics?

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I became involved in politics because of the Belfast Agreement. I was very much opposed to prisoner releases and the RUC being dismantled. I also felt people, especially working-class communities,

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"I am running as an independent because I felt uncomfortable having to vote on some issues that I didn’t agree with when in a party."

College and Bangor Central Primary School and Holywood, a new play park for Whitehill and to keep the play parks put under threat by the council at Groomsport and Donaghadee. I will also advocate for the delivery of a health and wellbeing centre for Bangor and Donaghadee, help to improve Housing Executive properties and remove damp, sports pitches for football, rugby, and hockey in Donaghadee. I want to see a train halt at the George Best City Airport, the removal of loading bays at Main Street and Bridge Street and I am working to try and get the Department for Infrastructure to resolve the serious underinvestment in the sewage system in Donaghadee.

were not getting proper representation and help on the ground.

Why are you running as an independent?

Who do you admire in politics or public life?

I am running as an independent because I felt uncomfortable having to vote on some issues that I didn’t agree with when in a party. I felt I would be able to use my time more wisely to deliver for my constituents on the ground more effectively being on my own especially on animal cruelty and the climate warming issues.

I admire Winston Churchill, who introduced reforms such as the Mines and Quarries Act of 1954, which improved working conditions in mines, and the Housing Repairs and Rent Act of 1955, which established standards for housing. As with other influential world leaders, Churchill left behind a complicated legacy. Remembered by his countrymen for defeating the dark regime of Hitler and the Nazis, he defended democracy and freedoms.

What are your key priorities for your constituency? If elected, I aim to work towards new school builds for St Columbanus’

More broadly, I want to see 500 more police officers recruited to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and 500 more nurses to help deal with backlogs in waiting lists. I believe more can be done though the Assembly for local businesses. I also want to be involved in creating a unionist convention to try and unite unionism and to sell the benefits of the union to everyone. I am very keen to do all that I can to help tackle fuel poverty and look at ways to reduce the cost of living.

What are your interests outside work? My interests outside of work are mountain climbing, walking my dog Bailie, and exploring my family history.

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The principal of protecting your source NUJ General Secretary, Michelle Stanistreet, discusses the union’s support of Chris Mullin, at a time when honest reporting is at threat. Journalism’s import and the challenges faced by journalists appeared in stark relief in Chris Mullin’s struggle to protect his sources. The investigative reporter, who went on to become an MP and government minister, uncovered the miscarriage of justice that jailed six men for the 1973 Birmingham pub bombings. Mullin faced the potential of jail for keeping his word. In 1991 the Appeal Court ruled that, after 16 years incarceration, the Birmingham six’s convictions were unsafe. Then Home Secretary Kenneth Baker told the House of Commons: “(Mullin) wrote his book and campaigned. He has every right to feel proud that the convictions have been quashed.” West Midlands Police (WMP) must account for their own actions, but England’s second largest force certainly has questions to answer. They framed the six men using coercive techniques. They ignored Mullin’s evidence that others were to blame, and for decades they left the bombings uninvestigated. Mullin’s tack was different. To prove the six’s innocence, he tracked down the real perpetrators. Promising IRA members he would never reveal confidential sources, he found the bomb planter. Remarkably, he extracted a confession, sufficiently detailed that its veracity is generally accepted. WMP has been chided into action by the understandably distraught relatives of the 21 bombing casualties. Police have interviewed the suspect, several times. Now resident in Northern

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Ireland, he was, however, unforthcoming. After consistently failing to mount a credible prosecutable investigation, they improbably claimed that unredacted copies of Mullin’s 30 yearold interview notes were key to achieving justice. Mullin resisted the application for a Production Order sought under the Terrorism Act. He had the support of the NUJ, the union he has been a member of for 50 years. After a hearing at the Old Bailey in February 2022, in March, a court backed Mullin’s failure to comply. It is clear that Mullin could not comply with an order to hand over his journalistic material, but there existed a troubling possibility that for the second time, WMP showed a preparedness to send the wrong man to jail. Disturbingly the Terrorism Act is but one of many legal challenges currently frustrating honest reporting. February’s Bloomberg v ZXC judgement outlaws the reporting of individuals being investigated or arrested. Julian Assange’s extradition could place at risk any journalist who offends the US Government, and proposed reforms to the Official Secrets Act threatens to treat journalists like foreign spies. In all of this, the NUJ will always stand up for journalists and journalism, but we need our allies in civil society more than ever.

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agendaNi issue 108

Articles inside

Political platform: Alex Easton MLA

Leading women: Jersey CEO Suzanne Wylie

Decarbonising transport

DAERA Permanent Secretary Anthony

Skills for a green economy

Apprenticeship expansion

Chief Planner Angus Kerr on planning for

Infrastructure 2050: An investment strategy

DUP MP Gavin Robinson on Westminster

Cover story: PBNI’s Amanda Stewart on