agendaNi issue 114 June/July 2023

Northern Ireland’s leading social media conference

21.09.23

Titanic Belfast

Now in its 9th year, the Social Media Belfast Conference is firmly established as Northern Ireland’s leading social media event. Bringing together over 200 attendees, the conference speaker line-up for 2023 boasts an exciting range of expert social media practitioners from across different sectors. Keeping up to date with future social media trends and learnings is a key focus of the event, as well as showcasing successful social media campaigns in Northern Ireland and beyond.

Why attend #SMBelfast 2023? ��

• Face to face networking with +200 marketing and communication professionals

• Hear leading social media practitioners: Visiting and local speakers

• Enhance your social media marketing and communication skills

• Learning: New trends and the latest insights

• Examples of best practice social media use across different sectors

Speakers confirmed include…

Laura Truelove

Senior Digital Media Manager

Welsh Government

Ross Middleham

Content Lead, Met Office UK

Sheena Doyle

Head of External Communications University of Limerick

Cathy Cullen Digital Director, Drury

Paul McGarrity

Managing Director, Octave Digital

Una McHugh

Communications and Marketing Officer

Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke

Carla Brogan

Social Media Manager, PropertyPal.com

Sara McCracken, Head of Fundraising and Communications, RSPB NI

All roads lead to net zero…

In 2016, Northern Ireland led the way in the generation of renewable electricity.

Since then, progress on the energy transition has all but stagnated, meaning that the region is now a laggard, when compared to its counterparts.

Such a reversal in fortunes is an all-too-familiar story in the region’s history, particularly when it comes to the economy.

Public services argue that the recent Budget will necessitate cuts to current operations. Officials will struggle to see the importance of investing for the long term, but that is exactly what is required.

Private, not public, spending will do the heavy lifting on decarbonising Northern Ireland, but joined-up, efficient public investment of finite resources has a crucial role to play in enabling routes to market for indigenous renewable technologies, potentially jump-starting the region’s economic prospects.

Net zero is the goal, but the economic multiplier effect that enabling investment can have cannot be understated. Quality job creation, community investment, addressing regional imbalance, apprenticeship provision, and export of innovation are just some of the potential advantages of a net zero focus, not just in the energy sector, but across the island’s economy.

The opportunities, and challenges, of that focus factor heavily in this issue’s two featured reports of energy and housing. Richard Rodgers, Head of Energy for the Department for the Economy, discusses immediate ambitions in the 2023 energy action plan, while in housing, Deputy Secretary Mark O’Donnell outlines progress on increasing supply, and decarbonisation. Increasing housing supply and boosting economic growth is also a common thread of our cover story, where Clanmil Housing’s Carol McTaggart sets out how the housing association is modernising to meet the demands of now, and the future.

Editorial

David Whelan, Editor david.whelan@agendani.com

Fiona McCarthy fiona.mccarthy@agendani.com

Ciarán Galway ciaran.galway@agendani.com

Odrán Waldron odran.waldron@agendani.com

Joshua Murray joshua.murray@agendani.com

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David Whelan FSC® is an acronym for the Forest Stewardship Council®, which is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that was established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC® system provides an assurance that products such as wood and paper have been harvested in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. The FSC’s Chain of Custody certification provides a way in which the material can be tracked from the certified initial source through the manufacturing process to the end user and other controlled sources.

Bill fast tracked to prevent direct rule

The British Parliament has passed legislation which will allow senior civil servants in Northern Ireland to make day-to-day decisions on the allocation of spending within their departments.

The Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Act, passed on 24 May 2023, is designed to ensure that parties in Stormont have more time to form an Executive, preventing the need for direct rule. Direct rule would only be a possibility if the British Parliament were to pass a piece of legislation, as the St Andrews Agreement is incompatible with formal direct rule from Westminster.

The Act piece of successor legislation to the Executive Formation Act, which was due to expire on 5 June 2023.

Debating the Bill in the House of Lords on 18 May 2023, the DUP’s leader in the upper house, Maurice Morrow, said that the party was concerned about a perceived imbalance in public spending in Northern Ireland compared to other parts of the UK, even though for every £1 spent in England, £1.21 is spent in Northern Ireland.

Morrow continued: “The reason we had to withdraw from Stormont is that we were not prepared to settle for, and thus effectively cement in, a second-class citizenship in which we no longer have the right to stand for election to make the laws to which we are subject and in which we are forced to be presented to the rest of our home economy as if we are a foreign country.”

Health cuts amid rise in pancreatic cancer

The number of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer has increased by 86 per cent since 2001, an audit has found.

The audit, funded by local pancreatic cancer charity NIPANC in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, marks the first report into pancreatic cancer services in the UK since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The audit showed there to have been 283 cases of pancreatic cancer in 2020, a figure compared to 152 in 2001.

Mark Taylor, Director of the Royal College of Surgeons in Northern Ireland, said cases were likely to rise because of "increasing age, obesity, and diabetes".

“We can see on the ground how pancreatic cancer referrals are increasing and we must strengthen services in our response.

“It is concerning that the most common route to diagnosis was via emergency admissions and the majority of patients presented with advanced (stage four) cancer where the cancer has spread to a distant site.”

The audit has been released as the Department of Health is projecting a funding gap of £732 million for this financial year, following the publication of the Budget by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris MP.

Credit: Roger Harris

Just under 5,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, the ongoing UK Covid-19 enquiry has heard. Since January 2020, it is estimated that around 4,900 people have died from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland. For context, roughly 3,500 people died during ‘the Troubles’ over the span of around 30 years.

The enquiry aims to establish how many of these deaths were avoidable and what lessons can be drawn on in the event of a future pandemic. Of the four regions in the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland had the lowest death rate from Covid-19, although it is possible this statistic is due to a difference in categorisation of deaths during the pandemic between the four regions.

During the opening session of the preliminary hearing, the lead

Elderly ‘disproportionately represented’ in Covid deaths

counsel made representations on behalf of each of the main participants including Northern Ireland's Commissioner for Older People, bereaved families, and the Trades Union Congress (TUC). She said: “the 75 and over age group accounted for almost two-thirds of all deaths and almost three quarters of Covid-19 related deaths”. That, according to the Commissioner for Older People, “reinforced the extent to which the elderly were disproportionality represented in terms of those who died”.

A barrister representing the Commissioner told the inquiry of a series of concerns. These included “the lack of sufficient PPE” in care homes; “ageist decisions” regarding the entitlement to ventilators, the “disproportionate deaths” in Northern Ireland's care home settings compared to the community and also, particularly, when compared to other parts of the UK.

Stagnation in Northern Ireland economy

There was no growth in Northern Ireland's economy in the third quarter of 2022, a report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found.

A separate release by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) states that the Northern Ireland economy contracted by 0.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2022. Both the releases by the ONS and the NISRA demonstrate that, in the first three quarters of 2022, economic growth in Northern Ireland was weak or non-existent, pointing to high inflation and the cost-of-living crisis causing households and businesses to be affected by rising costs.

More encouragingly, a study by Ulster University has projected that Northern Ireland’s economy will experience a notable decrease in inflation to 3 per cent in 2024, down from a peak of 10.2 per cent in 2023.

Although Ulster University is predicting low growth of 0.1 per cent for 2023, it is predicting that there will be an uptick in growth to 1.1 per cent in 2024, followed by a further rise to 1.9 per cent in 2025.

Former lord chief justice appointed head of legacy body

Former lord chief justice Declan Morgan has been appointed as head of the newly established Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The new group has been established under the aegis of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, which is expected to be passed by the UK Parliament before the summer recess and will operate as an arm’s length body.

The ICRIR, when operational, aims to refer deaths and “other harmful conduct” that occurred during ‘the Troubles’, to prosecutors.

The group will also carry out reviews of deaths and harmful conduct which occurred during the conflict and aims to determine whether to grant persons immunity from prosecution for serious or connected Troubles-related offences other than Troubles-related sexual offences.

The nature of the appointment, before the legislation has received royal assent, has been criticised by legal experts and victims’ groups. “The judicial appointment before the legislation is even passed or finalised tells us that chat about significant amendments is a distraction and nonsense,” according to Relatives for Justice’s Mark Thompson.

Director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, Daniel Holder, said: “It is at best unclear how appointments can be made before a bill is law.”

Announcing the appointment, Secretary of State Chris HeatonHarris MP said: “I am confident that he will bring the highest level of experience, expertise and integrity to this post which will help build public confidence in the ICRIR.”

Strategic plan for nursing care

Chief Nursing Officer, Maria McIlgorm has outlined her five-year vision for nursing and midwifery in Northern Ireland.

The vision strategy, drawn from and guided by the Nursing and Midwifery Task Group (NMTG) report, launched in 2020, identifies four key priorities: Workforce and workload planning; pre- and post-registration education and training; further development of career pathways beyond clinical pathways; and the development of a quality assurance framework for nursing and midwifery.

McIlgorm said she was confident that staff across health and social care would work together to address the

current serious challenges and make the sector a great place for nurses, midwives, and other colleagues to work.

“Our vision is to maximise the potential of the nursing and midwifery workforce, including our healthcare support workers, in a safe, inclusive, and healthful culture while recognising the value of equality and diversity within the workforce,” McIlgorm told the CNO conference.

“It is important that we will continue to work together to provide the resources and conditions to ensure that everyone involved in providing nursing and midwifery care can confidently and safely provide high quality evidence-based care.”

Credit: Queen’s University Belfast.

Rent rising in Northern Ireland

Rents are rising at a rate in Northern Ireland double that of the other regions in the United Kingdom.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics from March 2023 show prices in Northern Ireland rose 9.9 per cent in the last year, whilst prices rose 5.1 per cent in Scotland, 4.6 per cent in England and 4.4 per cent in Wales.

The effects of this phenomenon are manifesting in Northern Ireland’s homeless population, with 7,478 households

presenting as homeless between July and December 2022, according to the most recent figures from the Department for Communities.

Of those 7,478 households, 4,538 households who were accepted as statutorily homeless, over a third of which were families (1,661). This was followed by single males (1,078), single females (815), pensioner households (790) and couples (191). Within these families, there are 1,207 children.

Regional imbalance in Invest NI spending

Seventy-two per cent of Invest NI’s spending was east of the Bann over the last 10 years.

The Independent Review of Invest NI, which was chaired by Michael Lyons and published in January 2023, found a number of issues within the organisation, including “profound divisions” between the senior leadership team and the board.

The report further found a “sectoral dominance” of Belfast, particularly in financial, insurance, and communication activities, with manufacturing investment being dominated in the Mid and East Antrim region.

Invest NI invested £1.1 billion throughout Northern Ireland between 2012/13 and 2021/22. Of this, regions east of the Bann received £812.67 million (72 per cent) and regions in the west acquired £313.77 million (28 per cent), according to a release under the Freedom of Information Act, obtained by the Belfast Telegraph

A further regional imbalance is manifested in that Belfast was awarded more money than the entire west of Northern Ireland, with £409.63 million, a figure six-times more than Derry.

Sinn Féin sweeps the board

One year on from the Assembly elections, the local elections provided a new first in Northern Ireland politics; the first time nationalism has outpolled unionism. Joshua Murray was at the count centre in Belfast City Hall and reflects upon a landmark day of results.

Victory in the 2023 local elections belonged to Sinn Féin, with the party gaining votes on a scale seemingly unimagined even by those within the party. For unionism, this election marked a new low, finishing below nationalism in the popular vote for the first time in the history of Northern Ireland.

Although nominally about the governance of Northern Ireland’s 11 councils, these local election results have undoubtedly been decided on

Credit: PA Media.

issues such as the lack of an Executive and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The scale of Sinn Féin’s success cannot be overstated, with the party having surged by 7 per cent between the 2019 and 2023 elections, and now holding 144 of Northern Ireland’s 462 local government seats. This is the highest number of seats held by a single party since the formation of Northern Ireland’s super councils.

The election was also broadly successful for both the DUP and the Alliance Party. DUP members will be satisfied at having maintained the party’s 122 seats, and reasserted its dominance in unionist politics.

The DUP will be bolstered by the fact that it has, for the foreseeable future, seen off challenges from the UUP and TUV, with the party maintaining its 122 seats won in 2019. Whilst Jeffrey Donaldson MP’s position of leader is now seemingly unassailable, the decline of the overall unionist vote has opened a can of worms for unionism, with senior figures already calling for a realignment of unionist parties.

In the centre, it was a solid day for the Alliance Party, which made a steady gain of 14 seats, altough the party may be worried it has reached a ceiling of 13 per cent of the electorate.

For the SDLP and the Ulster Unionist Party, on the other hand, it was a repeat of what has been a decades-long trend of slow decline for the erstwhile leaders of the Executive. For Colum Eastwood MP, it was the sixth out of his seven elections fought as SDLP leader which saw the party record a decline in its vote share.

Doug Beattie MLA will have been encouraged by some promising results for the UUP in Derry and Strabane, but projections of how unionism adapts to its new surroundings of a Northern Ireland with a Catholic majority may mean the end for the UUP.

Sinn Féin domination

Not only did Sinn Féin win 144 seats, some 22 more than the DUP, but the party achieved a breakthrough that went beyond simply subsuming nationalist votes from the SDLP. In Derry City and Strabane, for instance, the party picked up seven seats. These gains were made from parties all

across the political spectrum, including the SDLP, DUP, Alliance, People Before Profit, and Aontú.

Throughout Northern Ireland, the party won 30.1 per cent of the popular vote, giving it a surge of 7.7 percentage points from the 2019 local elections. The majority of this surge cannot be attributed to Sinn Féin sweeping traditional nationalist voters, as the SDLP, despite losing a number of seats, only lost 3.3 percentage points from its 2019 vote.

Indeed, contrary to the narrative of some commentators, this election is a potentially watershed moment, with parties in favour of a united Ireland outpolling pro-union parties by around 4 per cent.

Sinn Féin members, buoyed by their success, stated that the overwhelming sentiment behind their surge was the lack of an Executive in Stormont, with a sentiment of injustice at Michelle O’Neill MLA not being able to form an Executive as First Minister. “People were telling us that Michelle won fair and square and deserved her chance to be First Minister,” one member told agendaNi

O’Neill’s personal popularity was a further undoubted factor in these election results, with Sinn Féin running a presidential style campaign centred around the Sinn Féin vice president. The most recent LucidTalk opinion poll showed O’Neill to have an approval rating of 41 per cent, the highest out of all party leaders in Northern Ireland.

With the party now represented in 10 of Northern Ireland’s 11 councils, including in some previously unlikely areas such as Lisburn, it is clear that Sinn Féin is now a party which appeals to voters across Northern Ireland outside of its traditional

republican base. Whilst some commentators have asserted that ‘there is definitely a pro-union majority in Northern Ireland,’ this significant success for nationalism will be seen as a boost for those wanting a united Ireland.

Fundamental questions for unionism

“He now has the TUV monkey off his back,” was how one commentator described the fallout of the local elections for DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson MP. DUP members in Belfast were reasonably satisfied with the election results, with the party maintaining its figure of 122 councillors throughout Northern Ireland. Donaldson will be able to use this election result to present a public endorsement of his decision to boycott the Assembly to reform the Northern Ireland Protocol. The DUP’s vote share between 2019 and 2023 declined by a marginal 0.9 per cent, and the party saw no net losses in its council seats. The DUP has asserted itself as the leader of unionism, whilst its rivals in the TUV only recorded a net gain of three seats, meaning that it won less seats in the 2023 local elections than it won in 2014. “Jim had his chance and failed,” remarked one DUP member.

What is clear from this election is that turnout was in the region of three percentage points lower in more traditionally unionist-leaning districts in Northern Ireland, which may have played a role in some of the gains made by nationalists and the Alliance Party. For instance, in the Waterside in Derry City and Strabane, Sinn Féin gained a seat from the DUP and there are a majority of nationalist councillors in the district. 4

Local election seats won in the May 2023 election by party

This lower turnout suggests that, when unionists go out to vote, they still tend to support the DUP, but those dissatisfied about the lack of an Executive tended to not vote in this election. Furthermore, it is apparent that dissatisfaction with the DUP over its Stormont boycott had a galvanising effect amongst nationalists and contributed to the Sinn Féin surge.

Writing in the Sunday Independent, Sam McBride asserted that unionism needed to “learn lessons from nationalism” about adapting to the shift in demographics in Northern Ireland. In 2016, unionism under the then-popular Arlene Foster triumphed over a then-stagnant Sinn Féin due to apathy among nationalists over the party’s Executive record.

Unionism was able to benefit from reduced turnout among nationalists in that election but has since embarked on a run of elections where it has continually galvanised the nationalist vote, predominantly around Sinn Féin. Unionists like the DUP leader continually state their desire to “make Northern Ireland work,” however, boycotting the Assembly has fed into the perception that the DUP are doing the opposite.

If unionism’s ongoing decline is to be reversed, it is imperative that it takes on a leadership role in making Northern Ireland work, and central to this will be playing a role in governing the region.

The age-old debate of forming a vanguard unionist party is once again on the agenda, despite having been ruled out by Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie MLA. One of his predecessors, Mike Nesbitt MLA, articulated his belief that the UUP may not be able to continue, and has called for a single traditional unionist party which would encompass the DUP, TUV, and the right of the UUP, as well as a more liberal party which is explicitly unionist and can compete for votes with Alliance and soft nationalism.

These calls were echoed by former DUP leader Edwin Poots MLA, who called on unionists to “wake up and smell the coffee” amid the growth of the nationalist vote.

One element which the politicos have been adamant about is that the DUP will utilise its strength gained within unionism to go back to the Assembly, amid the perception that it has ‘seen off’ the TUV and UUP, with no credible electoral threats emerging for the party in the immediate future.

Marginal gains for Alliance

For the Alliance Party, the local elections were one of consolidation, with the party seemingly reaching a ceiling among the Northern Ireland electorate in the 13 per cent mark for now. This stagnation is driven by the disparity in results west of the Bann – where it scored in the region

of 6 per cent – and east of the Bann, where the party won around 21 per cent of the vote.

The party was broadly successful against the Ulster Unionist Party but lost out to nationalism in Derry City and Strabane. Overall, the party will be satisfied in having translated its Assembly election success into local government, with Alliance now indisputably one of the three main parties.

What this means for politics

Northern Ireland now has a three-party system encompassing Sinn Féin, the DUP, and the Alliance Party, rendering the term ‘big five’ redundant.

Sinn Féin will seek to utilise these results as a springboard for elections in the Republic, where it aims to form a government at the next election and will have gained influence in the fight for Michelle O’Neill MLA to be able to become Northern Ireland’s first nationalist First Minister.

There will be a soul-searching exercise for unionism, with the creation of a vanguard unionist party seemingly unionists’ only hope of forming a larger party than Sinn Féin, unless unionists manage to find a way to reduce turnout among the nationalist electorate.

Credit: PA Media.

(L to R): The DUP's Jonathan Buckley MLA, Councillor Andrew McCormick, DUP leader Jeffery Donaldson and Councillor Dean McCullough at the count at Belfast City Hall.

‘Root and branch reform’ aimed at saving CBI

and the sacking of Director-General Tony Danker, who claimed that he had been made the “fall guy” for the organisation and that his name had been “totally destroyed” because it had appeared alongside rape allegations that did not involve him. CBI president Brian McBride has called Danker’s description of his dismissal “selective” but stated that the Fox Williams report would not be publicly published due to it being a “private legal matter”.

In a letter to CBI member companies, McBride stated that the confederation had made a “grievous error” by trying to resolve sexual harassment allegations inhouse instead of sacking offenders. He further stated that the CBI would operate a “zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and bullying behaviour” in the future and that a number of people had been dismissed for “failure to meet those standards”.

Membership fees form the bulk of the CBI’s £25 million annual revenue, and McBride admitted that he did not know if CBI could “effectively serve” its members as it takes steps to give them “reason to consider trusting us again”.

The attempt to rebrand CBI comes amidst a crisis for the company that began with an allegation of rape and has since snowballed into multiple allegations of rape, sexual harassment, and bullying as the toxicity of the workplace for the Britain’s biggest business lobby group was unmasked in the public arena. The revelations have led to over 50 groups

suspending or cutting membership with the confederation, including notable names such as Aviva, John Lewis, Virgin Media, O2, EY, BMW, and Mastercard.

A report by the law firm Fox Williams commissioned by the CBI led to the suspension of three staff members pending the completion of investigations

Left to pick up the pieces is new DirectorGeneral Rain Newton-Smith, who had recently left CBI after nine years as its chief economist to join Barclays but has now returned. Speaking to the Financial Times, Newton-Smith confirmed the forthcoming name change, but stated that this will simply be an aesthetic complement to meaningful change: “I am sure we are going to see a new name for the CBI, but that is just the wrapper that goes on the outside. What matters is what we do, what we deliver and our purpose… The CBI that emerges from this is not going to be the CBI of the past, that is clear. It needs to be a new, a different organisation.”

Changes to the structures and operations from CBI will be unveiled to members in the coming weeks ahead of an emergency general meeting in June. CBI Northern Ireland Director Angela McGowan stated: “There will be no stone unturned when it comes to employer and employee best practice behaviours.”

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is to rename itself as part of “root and branch reform” after it was plunged into crisis by allegations of sexual assault within the organisation. The efforts come as the confederation’s president admits that it may never regain trust.

Angela McGowan, Director, CBI Northern Ireland.

Homes to live well

As the organisation works to deliver an ambitious five-year corporate plan, with revised vision and values, Group Chief Executive, Carol McTaggart, discusses the role of Clanmil Housing in delivering homes for people to live well, now and in the future.

The Chief Executive was speaking shortly after it was announced that housing associations in Northern Ireland had successfully exceeded new build targets set by the Department for Communities in the financial year 2022/23.

McTaggart believes that by surpassing the target, Northern Ireland’s 20 housing associations have clearly demonstrated their competency and capacity to deliver the new homes needed in Northern Ireland, despite challenging economic and political circumstances, proving that properly resourced housing associations can play a crucial role in improving Northern Ireland’s social and economic future.

Currently, Clanmil owns and manages some 6,000 homes, accommodating almost 12,000 people. In 2022, the organisation successfully delivered more than 300 homes for people who needed them, with a further 400 homes currently under construction.

The Chief Executive describes Clanmil as a “values-driven” organisation, focused on achieving better outcomes for customers, colleagues, and the communities it serves. This mission is driven by Clanmil’s Shaping our Future 2026 strategy, a five-year plan aimed at delivering on the housing association’s purpose of “providing homes for people to live well”.

In her previous role as Group Director of Development for Clanmil, McTaggart helped shape this five-year vision, which meant she was perfectly placed to push forward with a strategy she “passionately” believed in and “understood”, upon taking up the post of Chief Executive on 1 January 2022.

Alongside delivery of the strategic plan, Clanmil has rebranded, something McTaggart believes enables the organisation to better reflect its revised corporate values of:

• leaving a positive experience;

• believing in better; and

• achieving together.

Outlining the importance of these revised values, McTaggart says: “I am a valuesdriven leader, and Clanmil is a values-

driven organisation. When you work at Clanmil you must embody these values. In doing so, we believe our people will do better for themselves, for their colleagues and for our customers.”

Build and maintain

One of five key pillars in Clanmil’s strategic vision is their desire to build and maintain quality homes whilst preserving the environment.

According to the Housing Executive, the strategic Housing Authority in Northern Ireland who manage the Common Housing Selection Scheme, 44,000 people in Northern Ireland are in need of a home, 33,000 of whom are deemed to be in housing stress. In the six months between July to December 2022, 7,478 households presented as homeless. Amongst them were 6,972 children.

Describing the figures as “staggering”, McTaggart says that this growing housing need is why the housing sector

is so important, and why existing challenges must be overcome.

The draft Housing Supply Strategy, published shortly before the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive, sets out an ambition for 100,000 new homes to be built in Northern Ireland over the next 15 years, of which 30 per cent are to be social homes.

Contextualising the scale of the challenge, McTaggart explains: “What that target means is that as a sector we need to build around 2,000 new social homes each year. Last year demonstrated the ability of Northern Ireland’s housing associations to deliver, despite the challenges we face. However, recent budget indications are that the Capital House Building Programme is going to be cut by around 15 per cent.

“If these cuts are imposed in 2023/24 this could mean a fall in the number of new social homes built this year from 4

“The solutions to many of our challenges are out there. The key is to develop our strategic thinking and collaborate to drive better outcomes for the region as a whole.”

Carol McTaggart, Group Chief Executive, Clanmil Housing

Balliniskea Heights on Northland Road, Derry, comprises apartments (including for over 55s), homes for families and a children's play park.

2,000 to 1,400. That is around 600 much needed new homes not being built at a time when the number of households in housing stress is the highest it has been in 10 years. Set this alongside the worst cost-of-living crisis in a decade, when interest rates are at a 15-year high, and we surely must be doing more, not less.”

McTaggart argues that part of the solution is properly funding housing associations to build more social homes. However, she recognises that finance is not the sole barrier to delivery. She says that a lack of available land, capacity restraints on water and wastewater infrastructure, and failure to implement planning reforms recommended in a recent Northern Ireland Audit Office report, are all serving as barriers to delivery.

“If the question is ‘what needs to be done?’, then the answer is that there is not just one strategic lever. If we are truly to address Northern Ireland’s housing crisis, we need to keep housing high on the political agenda, we need a multiyear budget with appropriate funding guaranteed, we need reform of planning, and we need to sort out infrastructure capacity.”

Although many of these challenges lie outside the control of housing associations, McTaggart offers the refreshingly honest opinion that housing associations do not want to sidestep the problem, they want and are willing to be part of the solution.

Investment

The Chief Executive believes that, generating an estimated £1 billion to the Northern Ireland economy annually through their house building activity, housing associations are a major economic driver.

In 2022, on the back of their strategic ambition to build 1,400 “well designed, energy efficient, mixed-tenure homes by 2026”, Clanmil secured their first private placement of £100 million.

The funding process was oversubscribed, with three successful bidders from the UK and North America. The Chief Executive believes that the process not only demonstrated the confidence of lenders in Clanmil as an organisation, but also in Northern Ireland as a viable region for investment.

“I feel we must all work together. We need our elected representatives to get back around the decision-making table, to give us the appropriate funding, so that together we can do better for Northern Ireland,” she argues.

Decarbonisation

Of course, new builds are just part of Clanmil’s strategy, with another important element being the maintenance of their existing homes. An overarching challenge in delivering both elements is decarbonisation.

The Chief Executive explains that

funding for decarbonisation is a major issue for Northern Ireland’s housing associations. Other areas of the UK and Ireland are already ahead in the implementation of strategies to address this issue but with no functioning Executive, Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK and Ireland that has no strategic direction or funding stream for retrofitting social homes.

She admits that Clanmil is tackling this challenge from a solid footing, with the organisation having taken a ‘fabric first’ approach to all new build homes since 2010 and around 85 per cent of its existing homes rated EPC C or above.

Alongside a decarbonisation plan to bring all existing homes to EPC rating C by 2030, Clanmil is trialling innovative approaches to future-proof their stock, with the Chief Executive highlighting a demonstration project currently underway in Antrim, where the 36 energy efficient homes are being built to achieve SAP rating A.

McTaggart describes Clanmil as an organisation that is “keen to explore alternative methods of construction and emerging technologies. She believes that this approach could be a “gamechanger”, not only in terms of the quality of homes and the speed of delivery, but also in terms of increasing the attractiveness to young people of the construction industry as a career, potentially driving further indigenous economic prosperity.

Skills

Contesting the argument that Northern Ireland as a region no longer possesses the skills and workforce capacity to deliver the necessary housing and infrastructure, even if resources were available, McTaggart says: “The feedback we get from the construction sector is that they need certainty. The Housing Executive and housing associations together own more than 140,000 homes and if we could offer certainty of our annual programmes, with a promise of work for the next two decades, then there would be a real opportunity for Northern Ireland to develop indigenous solutions, and the skills of the future.

“The solutions to many of our challenges are out there. The key is to develop our strategic thinking and collaborate to drive better outcomes for the region as a whole,” she says.

Customer strategy

McTaggart is quick to point out that customers are central to all that Clanmil does. In December 2022, the organisation launched its first ever co-designed customer strategy, described by the Chief Executive as a “statement of intent” to rejuvenate relationships and ensure that Clanmil becomes a “truly customerdriven organisation”.

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted on how Clanmil interacted with their customers and delivered their services. McTaggart says that the customer strategy is recognition that postpandemic, Clanmil has an opportunity to recalibrate, adding: “We need to listen to, learn from, and act upon what our customers tell us, so that we can deliver better services.

“We are excited about the journey ahead and committed to embedding a truly customer centric culture throughout Clanmil that supports our customers to live well.”

At the same time as launching the customer strategy, Clanmil also introduced a new digital strategy. This strategy focuses on equipping Clanmil’s workforce with digital tools to work better and smarter, and also targets homes, and design for a digital future.

“Our digital strategy is multi-faceted in its ambitions, but at its core, we aim to modernise and create an environment that supports communication that is engaging and responsive. That begins with ensuring our workforce is equipped to engage effectively with our customers, but also includes future-proofing our homes so that they are digitally enabled.”

Welcoming neighbourhoods

McTaggart is proud of Clanmil’s reputation as one of the largest shared neighbourhood providers in Northern Ireland. She stresses that Clanmil wants to build more shared neighbourhoods,

bolstered by the results of the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, which showed around 78 per cent of people in the region would like to live in a mixed area.

Clanmil has committed to delivering at least five more shared neighbourhoods by 2026.

However, McTaggart is adamant that serious change is needed to the Housing Selection Scheme and the allocation process, which has been in place for over 20 years. A bone of contention for many years, a fundamental review of allocations was carried out in 2016, but none of the 20 recommendations have yet been implemented. In 2020, then Housing Minister Carál Ní Chuilín MLA announced the Department’s decision to take forward 18 of the recommendations. However, implementation is expected to take at least three years. Additionally, not included in those recommendations is a review of the current intimidation points.

Carol McTaggart

McTaggart believes the allocation process, as it stands, is a barrier to creating sustainable communities. Stressing that any reformed system should still allocate on the basis of highest housing need, she says that the agreed 20 recommendations should be implemented in full to enable a diversity of customers in new developments, helping create a sustainable neighbourhood where customers can flourish and thrive.

“As a housing sector, with a wealth of experience and competence, I believe we have the ability to create a solution that makes the allocation scheme fit for purpose and allows people to live well when they move into social housing.”

McTaggart concludes by saying that as Clanmil moves into the third year of its strategic plan, come 2026 the success of the strategy will be measured by Clanmil’s provision of high quality, safe, comfortable homes that are enabling people to live well.

Carol McTaggart took up post as Group Chief Executive on 1 January 2022, moving from her role as Group Director of Development, where she had led an ambitious development programme that saw the number of homes Clanmil provided grow from 945 to more than 5,500.

Clanmil’s Cullingtree Meadows is managed in partnership with Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to provide supported housing for 30 older people with dementia.

Budget 2023/2024: In the absence of devolved government

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, published the 2023/24 Budget in late April 2023. The £14.2 billion package represents a funding cut in cash terms from 2022/23, meaning that all departments will experience real term funding cuts.

The funding delivered by the Budget totals £14.2 billion in resource funding and £2.2 billion in capital funding, as compared to £14.3 billion and £2.1 billion respectively in 2022/23. This total amount means that the allocation to departmental budgets for 2023/24 will reduce by 0.4 per cent, with the Department of Finance noting that this “does not fully reflect the extent of the pressures facing individual departments due to inflation, rising costs, increasing demands and pay pressures”. The Department further states that in order to “live within the funding available, difficult decisions will have to be taken”.

To ‘live within the funding’, the Department for the Economy (DfE) faces

making 16 per cent cuts to services due to a £130 million funding deficit. With over 70 per cent of DfE’s budget dedicated to supporting skills, further education, and higher education, the Department states that it is “inevitable that these sectors will be impacted”. There will also be reductions in funding for arm’s-length bodies and agencies across economic development, tourism, creative and screen industries, consumer protection, workplace safety and resolving disputes at work, and funding for actions included in the Path to Net Zero Energy Strategy will be “impacted”. DfE also notes that it will likely have to suppress current vacant posts in order to identify internal savings.

Heaton-Harris was forced to deny that the Budget was designed to “punish the people of Northern Ireland” for the continuing absence of the Assembly and Executive, as had been alleged by the DUP. “The purpose was not to punish anybody with this budget,” Heaton-Harris said. “It is to make sure services can continue in the absence of devolved government.”

The continuation of services will of course be a hot topic as the fallout from the budget continues over the coming months; whether all services continue with less funding, or some are eliminated will be among the “difficult decisions” the Department of Finance cited.

Credit: UK Government

Nonetheless, the fact remains that the Budget could have been even more severe on Northern Ireland; with a £660 million overspend in 2022/23, £297 million provided from the UK Reserve was due to be repaid from the 2023/24 budget, but “flexibility” has been granted by the Treasury, meaning that the balance can be repaid over two years rather than one.

The repayments made for this amount will be drawn from any future in-year Barnett consequentials, but the threat to other funding remains lingering into 2024/25, with the UK Government stating that should the amount repaid by Northern Ireland from its Barnett funding not amount to £297 million, the Treasury and Northern Ireland Office will “reallocate funding from previously announced Northern Ireland funding packages” to repay the residual in 2024/25. It is understood that there is a possibility of drawing on the financial transactions capital (FTC) stream that is consistently underspent by functioning assemblies in such a situation, although the Treasury would have to agree that FTC could be spent in this way.

The most likely source of Barnett formula funding comes from the expectation that the UK Government will eventually

provide extra money to settle public sector pay disputes across England during the financial year. Should this come to pass, public sector workers in Northern Ireland will not be in line for similar pay rises as the money will instead be immediately diverted to the UK Reserve.

The effects of these funding cuts have already begun to be seen across the economy. The Department of Health announced in May 2023 that the “difficult budgetary situation” had led to the decision to cut 300 nursing student places, a cut described as an “act of destruction” by Royal College of Nursing’s Northern Ireland director Rita Devlin. A further result of the cuts in education means that officials have been asked to examine the revenue-raising potential of increasing university student fees to £7,000 per annum. The 1.8 per cent decrease in funding for the Department of Education also means that no new school building projects, including extensions to existing schools, will be undertaken in 2023/24.

Of the nine governmental departments, including the Executive Office, only two –health and infrastructure – have seen their budgets increased when compared

to 2022/23; the Department of Health has seen its budget increase by 0.5 per cent, and the Department for Infrastructure by 0.4 per cent. Both of these increases will amount to cuts in real terms.

The Budget has occasioned that rarest of occurrences, across-the-board agreement among Northern Ireland’s political parties. Aside from the DUP’s accusation of Heaton-Harris administering a punishment budget, Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy MLA stated that the budget would devastate public services, UUP leader Doug Beattie MLA stated that it did not contain “any flexibility”, SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said there would be a “real squeeze on public services”, and Alliance MLA Andrew Muir described discussions around the budget with Heaton-Harris as “grim and truly bleak”. It is difficult to disagree with such diagnoses. When one considers the UK Spring Budget, unveiled just one month earlier than Northern Ireland’s budget in March 2023, and the increase in planned spending of £20 billion per year in the near term that it delivered, it is fair to ask how Northern Ireland finds itself facing cuts to every facet of public life.

A voice for victims

New Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime for Northern Ireland, Geraldine Hanna, outlines her policy priorities in the areas of delay, data, and disclosure to improve victims’ experience of the criminal justice system.

no future budget has been allocated.

However, despite the challenges, the Commissioner Designate says that work completed in the initial year of her three year term has built a solid foundation for progress – and she is hopeful that establishing her office in legislation will be a priority in any new mandate.

While Hanna’s post is new, her understanding of supporting the needs of victims is not. Over 21 years of working in victims’ services culminated in her taking up the post of Chief Executive of Victim Support NI in 2015, before accepting the Commissioner role.

“My background is victims’ services, I am passionate about the experiences of victims, so for me it seemed the natural next step,” she says, explaining her decision to take up the post.

The Commissioner role has been established to not only act as an advisor to government on the necessary legislative changes, but also as an advisor to the criminal justice sector around the experiences of victims and what steps they can take to improve that experience.

Setting out the rationale for her role, Hanna explains a collective feeling among victims of crime in Northern Ireland of being “bystanders” in the criminal justice process.

Appointed in June 2022 by then Justice Minister Naomi Long MLA to be a senior, independent voice championing victims’ needs in the criminal justice system, Hanna acknowledges that her ambitions for the office as it nears the end of its first full year, have not been aided by the absence of government.

Hanna’s appointment was made with the clock ticking down on the previous Assembly mandate, meaning that no time remained to put the office on a statutory legislative footing. Meanwhile, the continued absence of an Executive has meant resourcing has been limited, and

“Our adversarial system means that the State, not the victim, prosecutes the accused, and does so on behalf of the community. There is a recognised power imbalance there and to rectify that a lot of the law is weighted towards ensuring the defendant is given a fair trial and their rights are protected,” she says.

“Over the years, that focus on the role of the defendant and their rights has, in my opinion, overshadowed the rights and interests of the victim.”

While the Commissioner Designate recognises that protections for the accused are of major importance, she utilises the analogy of a three-legged stool, in which each leg represents the State, the accused and the victim, respectively. In her opinion, the leg of the victim is now shorter, causing an imbalance in the system.

“Victims are not a party to proceedings. Feedback tells us that in many cases victims feel they lose ownership of the case, as it becomes the prosecution’s case. The prosecution’s role is to represent the State. However, the interest of the victim and the interest of the State are not always the same.”

Quizzed on what should be done to improve victims’ experience of the system, Hanna says that legislation has a role, pointing to progress in the last Assembly mandate which saw the introduction of the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, the Protection from Stalking Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, and other policies.

However, Hanna believes that victims must feel valued and respected within our justice process, which she says stems from the treatment victims receive from the multiple criminal justice agencies.

Powers

It is envisaged that once written into legislation, the Commissioner for Victims of Crime will hold several powers, including:

• identifying, promoting, encouraging, and issuing guidance on good practice;

• reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of law and practice;

• reviewing the operation and delivery of Charter entitlements and promotion of the Victim Charter;

• directing complaints and monitoring outcomes;

• advising and making recommendations; and

• undertaking or commissioning research.

Hanna says that she will advocate for the strongest possible powers for her office, explaining: “My purpose is to capture the experience of victims and use the collection of those experiences to identify themes and to champion change.

“Each criminal justice organisation has its own complaints process and my role does not overtake that. However, for victims it is often confusing as to where their complaint should be directed and so the Commissioner for Victims of Crime has a signposting role.

“In hearing those complaints, I will be able to build a picture of impact on victims, both negative and positive, and use that to feed back in to the criminal justice agencies on a day-to-day basis, while calling for policy change and potentially legislative change.”

In England and Wales, a Commissioner for Victims of Crime post was established over 20 years ago. Additionally, a Victims and Prisoners Bill was introduced in Westminster on 29 March 2023, aiming to strengthen the powers of the Victims Commissioner in England and Wales. Hanna believes that work in these two regions can help inform legislation here in Northern Ireland.

Delay

Established with a term of three years, with a possible one-year extension, Hanna has identified several policy priorities for her term, which she outlines as her three ‘Ds’ – delay, data and disclosure.

The first, she explains is around delay, and the impact delay has on the wellbeing and experience of the victim.

Although a long-standing challenge for well over a decade, efforts to speed up justice had made little progress prior to the problem being further compounded by Covid-19.

Hanna believes that a “more systematic” approach is required, calling for criminal justice agencies to adopt a focus on delay from a victims’ perspective.

Somewhat ironically, a major criticism of the actions identified to address delay, is that they are not happening quickly enough, and are not being implemented fully.

“Resource is one of the challenges,” Hanna states, adding: “Post-Covid, the courts were all operating at 115 per cent capacity to address some of the backlog, and that was enabled through additional resources. However, this does not seem to be recognised in future funding plans.

“Equally, where good initiatives are developed, they need to be appropriately costed. The Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act was a fantastic step forward for victims, but it was not costed. What that means is that the system is equipped with no extra capacity for dealing with the reporting of, and processing of, a whole new crime. 4

“My purpose is to capture the experience of victims and use the collection of those experiences to identify themes and to champion change.”

“Since devolution, justice has been the poor relation in terms of sectoral funding. In my role, I will be striving to highlight that unless we invest in the justice system, victims will continue to experience these delays. My concern is that while we recognise the need to address delay, and the wider economic and societal costs these delays are having, we are not making effective decisions to drive change.”

Data

Another of Hanna’s policy priorities focuses on a lack of quality and accessible data in the criminal justice system, particularly around the needs and experiences of victims.

Pointing to the existence of over 10 separate case management systems in the criminal justice sector, Hanna says that it is currently impossible to track a victim from the moment they report to the disposal at court stage without a manual exercise.

The Commissioner Designate describes

siloed data as “inefficient and ineffective” in monitoring strategic performance and is lobbying for the development of one case management system in the coming years.

“Such a system could reap a whole range of rewards, enabling real-time data to improve efficiency but also conveying information to the victims of crime. Currently, we are trying to tweak old systems to meet modern demand, but outcomes could be a lot better if we build a system with these needs in mind.”

On a more immediate level, Hanna is advocating for better performance monitoring from agencies in relation to the Victim Charter. Placed on a statutory footing in late 2015, the charter sets out the entitlements and services that victims of crime in Northern Ireland can expect to receive from a range of service providers.

However, in 2020, the Criminal Justice Inspectorate Northern Ireland identified that “substantial work” was needed to raise awareness within the sector about

the Victim Charter, adding that criminal justice organisations tended to focus too much on statistics, meeting targets, and independence and put insufficient emphasis on personal experiences, which often had a lifelong impact on the victim, their families, and those closest to them.

“One of the biggest reasons for this lack of focus is that compliance is not monitored,” explains Hanna. “I am a firm believer that what gets monitored gets done and I want to work with justice agencies to develop a monitoring tool which in turn will allow for the benchmarking of progress and identify gaps.”

Disclosure

The Commissioner Designate’s other policy priority is around the disclosure of victims’ personal information. In May 2022, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office called for prosecutors and police to end the excessive collection of personal data from victims of rape and serious sexual assault. It followed a similar call in a review into law and procedures around serious sexual crime in Northern Ireland by John Gillen in 2019 for “a restructuring of the disclosure process”.

Hanna says that most of the challenge centres on current practice around disclosure not aligning with policy guidelines. The Commissioner Designate explains that she has been working with the Information Commissioner, the PSNI, and the PPS to tighten the safeguards around what personal information is being requested of a victim, and for what reason.

Directly related to this, is Hanna’s concern around the disclosure of victims’ counselling records. In February 2023, ahead of Sexual Violence Week, the Commissioner Designate issued a warning that victims of serious sexual assault are being forced to choose between healthcare and justice due to disclosure of counselling notes in criminal trials.

“I am deeply concerned that the disclosure of third-party counselling notes in rape and sexual assault trials is forcing victims to choose between accessing healthcare and accessing justice. The disclosure of excessive amounts of data and information, which can then be used in court by the

defence, has the triple effect of retraumatising victims, making some victims reluctant to access crucial counselling services, or resulting in victims censoring their accounts of their experience to their counsellors in the knowledge that it may be used in court,” she says.

Hanna outlines that she is currently engaging with stakeholders to explore proposals to restrict or wholly exclude these counselling notes from criminal trials.

Experience

The Commissioner’s office was established with a special interest in domestic abuse, sexual abuse and hate crime. As a result, Hanna has established three related advisory panels comprising representatives of the voluntary sector and academics to help build evidence around thematic change. A fourth advisory panel also focuses on all crime.

Although established under the auspices of the justice ministry, and therefore focused on criminal justice, Hanna has advocated for the role of the Commissioner to be broadened beyond justice. Explaining this further, she says: “The needs of victims are broader than justice. The Victim Charter currently looks at criminal justice, but I think all government agencies should give consideration to how they respond to victims, be that in health, housing, or social services, for example.”

Assessing the volume of work for her and her office in the time ahead, Hanna concludes: “Victims of crime who come forward and share their experiences of the justice system do so with the sole aim of making the system better for those who come behind them.

“Unfortunately, for too many victims, their experience of the justice system is worse than their experience of the crime. I believe we have an onus as a sector and as a society to improve that system and to ensure that victims do come forward.”

In the year ahead, the Commissioner Designate has pledged to launch a victim survey, carried out on an annual basis to not only gather the experience of victims but also to benchmark performance and identify improvement gaps.

“We need to deliver a more tailored response to victims and part of the solution to doing so is through improved needs assessment. Combined with that we need increased advocacy support for individual victims.

“Achieving this will be a challenge but can also be a gamechanger in victims

feeling heard, feeling valued and feeling like they are active participants in the justice system.”

W: www.cvocni.org

Twitter: @CVOCN

Profile: Geraldine Hanna

Before being appointed as Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime in June 2022, Hanna was Chief Executive of Victim Support NI since 2015. She has over 21 years’ experience in the victims’ sector and has been the driving force in establishing Victim Support NI’s Witness Service in all criminal courts across Northern Ireland and introducing the role of independent sexual violence advocates for adults and children to the region.

Hanna has also worked for several years at a European level and was appointed to the role of President of Victim Support Europe in May 2021. She holds a BSc in sociology and MBA in Business Administration.

“Currently, we are trying to tweak old systems to meet modern demand, but outcomes could be a lot better if we build a system with these needs in mind.”

Covid health and wealth correlation

The Health Inequalities 2023 report is a study which examines the impact of social deprivation on health outcomes, determining whether there is a correlation between economic prosperity by area and health outcomes in each area.

The regional equality gaps take this into account by comparing the health outcomes of people in the 20 per cent most economically deprived areas with the 20 per cent most economically prosperous areas in Northern Ireland.

Notably, the report finds that, in addition to the slight increase in women’s life expectancy inequality, that overall life expectancy has decreased throughout Northern Ireland, in both economically prosperous and relatively economically deprived areas in the region. Coming from an economically deprived area in Northern Ireland reduces the average male’s life expectancy by 7.3 years and the average female’s by 5.3 years.

Covid deaths

With the 2023 report covering both 2020 and 2021, the full effects of Covid-19 and class background are laid bare, with the stark finding that there was a 90 per cent health difference in the death rate of those who died of Covid-19 from an economically deprived area and those who died from the virus from a prosperous area, in 2021.

The 90 per cent gap from 2021 is a significant increase from the already-notable 25 per cent death gap reported in 2020.

In 2021, there was a rate from Covid-19 of 112 per 100,000 of the population. However, when taking economic background into account, those from economically deprived areas had a death rate of 147 per 100,000 diagnosed, compared with a rate of 77 deaths per 100,000 of those diagnosed in an economically prosperous areas.

An individual from an economically prosperous area was 90 per cent less likely to die from Covid-19 than an individual from an economically deprived area in 2021, a report from the Department of Health has found.

The report notes that the Covid-19 deaths are explicitly those who died from the virus, and that it does not include deaths reported to the Public Health Authority where the deceased had a positive test for Covid-19 and died within 28 days, where subsequently Covid-19 was not registered on the death certificate as the cause of death.

Mental health inequality

A further potentially Covid-related trend was the mental health outcomes of those throughout 2020 and 2021, with a notable increase in the gap of alcohol-related deaths and rates of addiction in the second year of the pandemic.

2021 saw an increase of 36 per cent in alcohol-related deaths, bringing the economic background gap up to a staggering 342 per cent. When looking at the proportional alcohol-related death rates, the report finds that there was a death rate of 38.3 per 100,000 of those from an economically deprived background, compared with a rate of just 8.7 per 100,000 of those from an economically prosperous area.

The figures on alcohol-related deaths are correlated by an increase in the gap of suicide rates between those who live in relative wealth and those who live in relative deprivation. Between 2020 and 2021, the suicide gap increased by 17 per

Department of Health response

When asked for an explanation for the difference in the rate of Covid deaths, a spokesperson from the Department of Health said: “Almost all health outcomes are worse for people living in more economically deprived areas compared with those living in the least economically deprived areas, as discussed in the Department’s Health Inequalities Report. There is no single explanation for this.

“Specifically in relation to Covid, people living in more socio-economically disadvantaged areas have higher rates of almost all of the known underlying clinical risk factors that increase the severity and mortality of Covid-19, including hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, liver disease, renal disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity and smoking.

“As a consequence of this, and differences in behaviours, contacts and vaccine uptake, as well as accommodation and employment factors, Covid mortality was unfortunately always likely to be greatest in those areas with the greatest economic deprivation.”

cent, leaving a gap of 114 per cent overall.

Despite the increase in suicide and alcohol-related deaths, the mood and anxiety gap, whilst remaining high, did not increase, suggesting that the knock-on effect on mental health services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has made the consequences for those suffering from anxiety and low mood more severe.

Pregnancy and early years

One section positively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic was that of infant mortality. Both the overall rate of infant mortality and the equality gap of infant mortality rates decreased between 2020 and 2021.

In 2021, the infant mortality rate gap by socioeconomic background was 28 per cent, down from a gap of 42 per cent in 2020.

Rates of teenage pregnancy also narrowed significantly, although the gap remains wide, with the 2021 figure showing a gap of 358 per cent by socioeconomic background. However, it is noteworthy that this figure is down from the 2020 figure of 611 per cent.

Everyone can be a lifesaver

The power to save a life is in your hands – and on your phone.

Would you know what to do if a loved one, work colleague or even a complete stranger had a cardiac arrest in front of you?

We all hope it is something we will never come across ourselves, but sadly it happens all too often to many people. There are around 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Northern Ireland each year and, unfortunately, less than one in 10 people survive.

Survival rates can be improved, however, by acting decisively when an emergency occurs.

It may sound like a terrifying and daunting experience but the power to

save their life could be in your hands. Literally.

Performing CPR – cardiopulmonary resuscitation – when someone’s heart suddenly stops beating during a cardiac arrest dramatically increases their chances of survival.

Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent.

Performing CPR and using a defibrillator can more than double someone’s chances of survival in many cases.

We have all seen it on TV and in films, we may have attended a training course in the past, but how many of us actually know how to do it, or would feel confident preforming it in an emergency situation?

It is a skill many people want to learn but, in this busy world, it often joins other things on the long list we never get around to.

I have no doubt many people would want to be equipped with this lifesaving skill but are unsure if they could do it. The reality is that everyone can be a lifesaver.

As Head of the British Heart Foundation in Northern Ireland, I have been privileged to hear many inspiring stories of heroism. About how people faced with a sudden cardiac arrest have acted quickly and managed to save their lives.

Cardiac arrests can happen anywhere; in the home, on the street, or in the workplace.

Fearghal McKinney, Head of BHF NI, outlines how the organisation’s new online tool is putting the power to save lives directly into people’s hands.

BHF NI have worked with Citi Group to deliver CPR training in Belfast. Pictured (L:R): Helen McCarragher, Belfast Families Matter Inclusion Network Co-Chair; Leigh Meyer, Citi Belfast Site Lead; Fearghal McKinney, Head of BHF NI; and Naoimh Barr, Belfast Families Matter Inclusion Network Co-Chair.

These lifesavers I have encountered range from young to old and come from all walks of life but have one thing in common; the desire to save a life.

But there are other stories too. Unfortunately, all too often I also hear of lives lost to cardiac arrests and of the pain and grief their families, loved ones, and colleagues are left with.

The majority of out of-hospital cardiac arrests in Northern Ireland happen in the home. People going about their daily lives, at their jobs, or simply watching TV with family could be at risk from cardiac arrest. It could be anywhere.

At the British Heart Foundation, we have offered CPR training opportunities to help equip people to deal with such emergencies for many years. And now it has never been easier.

Taking the lifesaving power of CPR into your hands can now be done by a free interactive online training tool on your phone and it takes just 15 minutes.

RevivR, developed by the British Heart Foundation, offers simple, step-by step training on how to recognise a cardiac arrest and what to do if you encounter one.

It involves scanning a QR code which take you to the easy-to-follow instructions.

It is free to use and the training can be done anywhere. All that is needed is a phone or tablet, floor space and a firm cushion.

And that is it. In just 15 minutes you could learn the vital skills to allow you to save someone’s life.

We have taken this training tool to many places and trained thousands of people across Northern Ireland already.

Increasingly we are seeing more and more businesses getting involved and

in your hands.

wanting to offer this lifesaving training to employees.

Not only does this provide staff with the skills to help save a life should an emergency situation arise in the workplace, but also when they are at home with their families or out and about in their communities.

We have worked with Citi Group, one of Northern Ireland’s largest employers, at its offices in Belfast, pharmaceutical firm Almac in Craigavon, and Translink, to name a few.

We have also worked with law firms and business development groups, as well as a range of community and sporting groups to provide CPR training using our online tool.

These training sessions have proved to be very popular with employees, with hundreds signing up.

Those taking part have given a variety of reasons why they want to learn this lifesaving skill. Many because someone they know had a cardiac arrest and wanted to be ready in case such a situation ever arises.

Speaking to them at these sessions, I have heard experiences of loss and of hope.

Listening to people as they share their stories of what motivated them to come along and learn CPR is humbling. There is a genuine desire to help save lives.

And more and more companies are realising this. It is not merely an exercise in corporate social responsibility. It is so much more. It is literally putting the power to save lives in people’s hands.

We want to continue to build the community of lifesavers across Northern Ireland. There is a role for everyone in that; from community groups to international companies which employ thousands.

It all starts with a 15 minute training session and could mean a lifetime for someone else.

For more information on the work of the British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland contact 028 9053 8301

"It may sound like a terrifying and daunting experience but the power to save their life could be

Literally."

Recently, BHF NI carried out RevivR CPR training sessions with employees at Almac in Craigavon.

ESG in a decarbonised Northern Ireland

NIE Networks hosted a round table discussion with key stakeholders across various sectors to discuss the role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) in reaching net zero.

What are the benefits and opportunities of an organisation-wide focus on environmental, social and governance outcomes?

Gillian McKee

A major benefit is employee attraction and retention. Surveys show that around two-thirds of Gen Z employees consider company sustainability when choosing an employer. When building a workforce for the future, it is an important consideration. Companies that move quickly will have a competitive edge in the recruitment market. In the longer term, there are cost efficiencies for organisations that reduce their dependency on fossil fuels, particularly if emission reductions are passed along the supply chain. And a key benefit has to be building stakeholder trust by being transparent about your impacts on people and planet.

Gareth Walls

The attraction and retention of the best talent are exceptionally important drivers because all of our industries and businesses are founded upon our people. If you can get the cultural understanding correct through recruitment and retention, then you can make 'good ESG' not just a cultural norm for the business, but a cultural necessity. However, there is also a more defensive aspect, which manifests as legal compliance. This is not just an esoteric concern; compliance with legislation and regulations requires a comprehensive approach to protect the corporation and the individual.

Geoff Nuttall

There are potentially great cost efficiencies complementing the environmental benefits of moving to net zero, however, limited resources mean that not every business or organisation is

practically able to consider all the ESG ramifications of their business operations. A lack of cost-effective and free support for smaller and less-resourced organisations to make that journey is a barrier to achieving those benefits and opportunities.

Mark

Palmer

One major benefit is the creation of shared values. An organisation-wide focus on ESG will require conversations around what an organisation’s values are, mandating engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders and voices. This is a boundary-spanning opportunity, and we know that greater diversity enhances performance for teams.

Robert

Clements

The evidence shows there are long-term benefits to having a sustainable business model. Take decarbonised heat for example, there are clear economic benefits to investing in an indigenous, sustainable fuel source, but there are also wider benefits, including better health outcomes for householders. From a governance point of view, compliance is essential, but fundamentally, it is the right thing to do. There are clear benefits of an ESG focus in attracting investment, in recruiting talent, and in lowering

Round table discussion hosted by

operating costs, but fundamentally, the major benefit is a plan of action for our people, the planet, and delivering prosperity.

Derek

Hynes

ESG is a fundamental tool to understanding and promoting the purpose and mission of an organisation. The challenge for organisations, and NIE Networks is no different, is to truly embed those values in your operations. There are specific tangible benefits, for example, when we go to debt markets, unless your ESG reporting shows you are doing the right things as an organisation, you either do not get money, or you pay a lot more for it. There is also a compliance element, ultimately, you have to know that the fabric of an organisation will deliver on your ESG responsibilities, but it must come from the heart of an organisation in terms of its purpose. This cannot be just another tick box exercise.

Can the creation of comprehensive and supportive governance, risk, and control (GRC) frameworks better prepare organisations for a net zero future?

Robert

Clements

I believe they can, especially in relation to risk. A lot of discussions on net zero centres on climate mitigation but not enough on climate adaptation. Currently, there are 45,000 houses in Northern Ireland deemed at risk of flooding, and the cost of adaptation will be in the tens of millions. The reality is that it is often the most socially vulnerable that live in these areas. If we are striving for a just transition, we need to think about adaptation and businesses need to understand their level of resilience to the future climate. Doing this properly can improve a business’s credibility with the public, and with potential investors.

Gillian McKee

Yes, to a degree. Frameworks are important to ensure that organisations are managing future risk and putting an environmental lens on their decision-making. However, I do not think public trust centres on frameworks, but on tangible action. ESG reporting is still largely being driven by investor requirements when it really needs to be focused on humanity’s requirements. To achieve that, organisations must be committed to sustainability and have that commitment built into their operations.

Geoff Nuttall

Good frameworks, rigour and credibility are very important, but it is worth highlighting that there are a lot of different frameworks and accreditation systems out there, some more credible than others. It can be very resource intensive to keep up with different systems and I think the challenge is how do we encourage organisations to take up GRC frameworks without making it overly burdensome? Taking the community and voluntary sector as an example, time and resources are scarce, and what they are doing might well be delivering on those decarbonisation themes, but how do they systemise that in a way that recognises their capacity?

The participants

Robert Clements

Robert Clements is the interim Head of Sustainable Development for the Housing Executive and leads on the Sustainable Development Strategy. He also manages the Home Energy Conservation Authority statutory functions for Northern Ireland. Robert has worked in social housing for over 20 years and has extensive experience in residential refurbishment and development with his previous roles in the private and housing association sector. He is currently a board member for Sustainable NI.

Derek Hynes

Derek Hynes was appointed Managing Director of NIE Networks on 1 September 2022. He is a director of Energy Networks Association Ltd, Centre for Competitiveness, and Smart Grid Ireland. He joined ESB in 2000, where he held several senior management positions. He is a chartered engineer with post-graduate qualifications in operations management and corporate governance and he has completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard University.

Gillian McKee

Gillian McKee runs sustainability and ESG consultancy GIRAFFE Associates, working with companies across the manufacturing, construction, agri-food, and other sectors to develop ESG strategies and deliver training to staff. Having spent 22 years with Business in the Community, she is now an external assessor for the CORE Standard and the independent auditor for Diversity Mark’s Gold Standard. She is also trained to support companies who wish to become certified as B Corporations.

Geoff Nuttall

Geoff Nuttall is Head of Policy and Public Affairs for NICVA. He has over 20 years’ experience in the voluntary and community sector, including five years as Head of NICVA’s European Unit and over 15 years in environmental policy advocacy and project development, as Head of WWF NI, Head of Policy and Campaigns for the National Trust, and Development Manager for the Woodland Trust.

Mark Palmer

Mark Palmer is Professor of Marketing and Strategy at Queen’s University Belfast. Previously he has held faculty appointments at the University of Birmingham and Aston University. His research approaches the grand challenge of net zero from a neo-institutional perspective.

Gareth Walls

Gareth Walls is partner and Head of the A&L Goodbody's Employment and Incentives group in Belfast. Gareth is an experienced commercial litigator with particular emphasis on injunctive relief in the employment context, modern slavery, as well as being a sought-after speaker on employment issues in Northern Ireland.

Gareth Walls

ESG is not a new concept and therefore, an awful lot of the structures for getting it right already exist. In recent times the terminology of ESG has broadened, and rightly so, to become an umbrella term for the 'right thing to do' in many aspects of society, law, and the environment. Corporate governance frameworks are unattractive, but they are an absolute necessity. Where the link between these frameworks and environmental goals fails is when organisations use such frameworks to communicate ESG credentials to the market, which they simply do not have. The worst instances are often described as greenwashing or virtue signalling. While the law is often slow to deal with this, the court of public opinion is not and such claims can be fundamentally destructive to a business, an organisation, and its people.

Derek Hynes

Governance is most valuable when you can move away from reporting what has happened in the past and utilising it to help predict the future. Organisations of any size are constantly balancing the competing demands for people, finance, and capability, but if you do not do the

governance, risk reporting, and compliance correctly, you are stabbing in the dark when deciding where to invest scarce resources. In relation to net zero, governance has a role in the sense that as we look at reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, we are also engaging in supply chains that are doing the same. Governance has its part in that selffulfilling circular of moving towards net zero.

Mark Palmer

I would suggest that organisations need to take a step back and find perspective. The energy transition is a complex problem and puzzle. Having oversight of the multiple parts and how they fit together will be important. Portfolio driven approaches can help but I would caution on the one-size-fits-all approach with GRC.

What does a strong social impact strategy comprise of, and who are the beneficiaries?

Derek Hynes

We are a large organisation with a premium carbon footprint. We have an impact on nature and have had for 100 years. The most important thing is for our staff to see us accept that history and accept the responsibility we have to do things differently in the future. The consequence of not doing this is that people will not buy into the employment prospect with NIE Networks. There is also an issue of public trust. If NIE

Networks wants to have access to farmland and precious environment, to build and maintain our infrastructure, then the communities need to know that we are being open and honest, and that we are doing the right thing.

Geoff Nuttall

Issues like climate change are pansocietal, and mitigating climate change benefits society as a whole, but a strong social impact strategy targets areas of greatest social need and social impact. A social impact strategy gets strength through credible action. There is a role for a measuring system, but a strategy needs to detail what is being done differently because of climate change, and what are the outcomes.

Mark Palmer

It comprises of tangible actions. I would caution against just using one framework, because that could lead to a situation where organisations are effectively hitting the same problems with the same tool, repeatedly. It will require a diversity of tools as indicators. For example, we often see a new building being opened and the environmental impact or habitat credentials are boasted, but often the social and behavioural impact falls off. It is important to understand how infrastructure developments impact people’s lives and broader civic society. Our universities can play a key role in understanding this with research.

Gillian McKee

Historically, when corporate social responsibility was the buzz word, a social impact strategy related to a charitable donation, fundraising, and engaging with the local community. It is much broader now. For me, a strong social impact strategy is one where the company looks at its social impact at every stage of its value chain. It is not just about your own local communities; it must go far beyond that. To quote a former colleague: “Social responsibility is not about how you spend your profits, it is about how you make them in the first place.”

Gareth Walls

There are two elements to a strong social impact strategy. Firstly, it starts with boardroom responsibility, and should not be delegated down to a lower level of the management chain. It should also be flexible, recognising that if an organisation makes a start, there is space to learn from mistakes and adapt. Secondly, societal impact starts with the immediate internal consequence for our

“The idea that we can be sustainable businesses whilst using less is the ultimate answer to all of this.” Derek Hynes

employees and those we wish to employ; however, the next level of impact is broader and is external to the organisation, in Northern Ireland and globally. Underlying legislation, such as Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act deals with corporate responsibilities. It not only expects an entry level compliance threshold but every year, it anticipates improved awareness and contribution of oversight, not just into its workforce, but also of its supply chain. The obligation for corporate Northern Ireland is to investigate those suppliers whose raw materials come from the global market, and ensure they are meeting the base requirements of legislation.

In terms of social impact through recruitment, there must be recognition of the need to modernise our processes. For many years, recruitment in Northern Ireland has been focused on religious belief, political opinion, and community background. However, if you think of true diversity, there must be recognition for things like neurodiversity, social mobility, and apprenticeship opportunities for the many fantastic candidates who may not be university educated. A good social impact strategy and policy therefore focuses on how to make an organisation ESG compliant, whilst also assessing how that approach can benefit wider society.

Geoff Nuttall

A good social impact strategy is flexible and adapts its message for different audiences. At NICVA, we have been having our net zero conversations at board level, but we also have internal staff groups to operationalise things in practice and we are now looking to our sphere of influence, which is our members and our sector. That is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the framework uses. For example, we might be using a greenhouse gas framework to frame policy for our board, but our internal staff groups have got a much more simplified way of looking at the key environmental drivers. As long as the systems do not get in the way of the urgency then we should not be tied to one system and trying to make that the only system.

“When instituting change in the system, we must be mindful of the impact on people and their values over the long run.” Mark Palmer

“ESG reporting is still largely being driven by investor requirements when it really needs to be focused on humanity’s requirements.”

Gillian McKee

Geoff Nuttall

With the environmental pillar score of ESG rating being increasingly used as a tool to align investments with a lowcarbon transition, what are the priority areas of focus for organisations to drive environmental benefits?

Mark Palmer

A priority focus must be placed on Scope 3 emissions. I have been developing a piece of work for the Department for the Economy which looks at international supply chains in relation to the sourcing of critical minerals and one of the standout findings is that across the energy transition, there is very little knowledge around Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers. That means it is going to be a challenge, because how can organisations get to net zero if we do not fully understand their supply chains?

Robert Clements

Scope 3 emissions is the new frontier; we estimate that 99 per cent of the Housing Executive’s carbon footprint are from Scope 3 emissions. Our priority is ensuring that we deal with the most

vulnerable first, and we believe that empowerment and behavioural change through education are critical. A typical house produces four tonnes of carbon per year, but a typical person produces 10 tonnes of carbon per year, so tackling behavioural change will be key to achieving a just transition.

Gillian McKee

A focus on Scope 3 is important in the

short term, because smaller companies in the supply chain will not get to net zero on their own. I think it is important to recognise that priority environmental areas are going to differ between sectors, but are likely to include energy efficiency, emission reduction, resource use, and circularity. A report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that around 45 per cent of emissions can be targeted by looking at circularity across key sectors. Nature and biodiversity are also critical, particularly when you consider that in Northern Ireland 26 per cent of carbon emissions are coming from agriculture.

Geoff Nuttall

One area of focus is land use; however, it is not a mainstream conversation yet. Conversations around things like rewilding can become controversial because it requires a difficult transition from our current model, but it is a conversation we must have.

Gareth Walls

When discussing ESG ratings and its scoring, you cannot step away from the cost of money, the cost of lending, and the way banks and financial institutions are approaching investment based on their ESG credentials. The other side, however, is social value through procurement. This provides a real opportunity for large business to partner with the organisations that need significant assistance. Some view the

“A strong social impact strategy targets areas of greatest social need and social impact.”

“A lot of discussions on net zero centres on climate mitigation but not enough on climate adaptation.” Robert Clements

marrying of two organisations to ensure the greatest ability to score highly on social value cynically, but it is one of the quickest ways to ensure good ESG scoring and help those in the community who need it most. I think this is an opportunity we all need to be more aware of.

Geoff Nuttall

Our sector comprises of organisations who provide a large infrastructure to reach communities of interest, in whatever section of society you want to reach. I do not think that is fully understood and as a result, it is an untapped resource.

Derek Hynes

Something we do not talk about enough is the idea of degrowth. We can not continue to grow and consume. It is not an easy conversation for any business to have because most of our futures depend on a model of consumers buying and using our services. The idea that we can be sustainable businesses whilst using less is the ultimate answer to all of this. We also have a role in changing behaviours. We must recognise the intergenerational nature of all of this and that we have an opportunity to help the next generation understand and realise the environmental benefits.

Outline one priority for how organisations can best ensure their ESG agendas align to a common cause for better outcomes.

Derek Hynes

I think it is critical that organisations listen. This is an adaptive challenge for everybody, so we have to offer our perspective, but we also must be willing to listen to others. We must engage with people and adapt our approach, otherwise the transition does not come together.

Robert Clements

I would suggest that organisations ensure that their mission statement is wrapped in sustainable practice. Our Chief Executive set out a mission statement that everyone should live in an affordable and sustainable home, within a climate-resilient environment to meet

their needs. That statement wraps the needs of a sustainable life and sustainable living into the very fabric of everything we do, and it comes from strong leadership from the CEO and the board.

Mark Palmer

I think there is a need to be mindful of people – about humans and how they feel about the many changes and demands. As ESG has become more prominent and significant, the behavioural practice around sustainable business model credentials must also stand up to scrutiny. At the same time, equally, it is important that we are mindful of this question: When does measuring everything that moves become intolerable for employees, communities and humanity more generally? All management tools, visual dashboards and ESG measurements produce unintended behavioural consequences that are not always seen immediately. When instituting change in the system, we must be mindful of the impact on people and their values over the long run.

Geoff Nuttall

Ensuring organisations with the greatest

reach and best understanding of social vulnerabilities are properly resourced. Our sector comprises 7,500 organisations with a core aim of delivering environmental and social value, they represent a litmus test as to how a much wider benefit we can bring. Making connections with these organisations is key.

Gareth Walls

If this is to have meaning, then organisations have got to be committed to ESG and that commitment must be authentic. Without integrity in the approach the policy will fail and customers, clients, and colleagues will see through that.

Gillian McKee

If organisations are looking for global frameworks and common outcomes, then the UN Sustainable Development Goals represent a good example. They are not just for the third world, as many people assume, they are about the planet, people, prosperity, peace, and partnerships. Organisations can use these goals to see where they align and where they can have the biggest impact.

“Without integrity in the approach the policy will fail and customers, clients, and colleagues will see through that.” Gareth Walls

Fundamental review of procurement processes needed

In a detailed report on public procurement in Northern Ireland, Comptroller and Auditor General, Dorinnia Carville, said that the structures and arrangements to provide leadership, governance, and accountability in public sector procurement “are not working effectively”.

In a highly critical report, the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) identifies several key structural weaknesses in current procurement arrangements, summarising that the Procurement Board has not sufficiently met its responsibilities during the last two decades.

Amongst its key recommendations, the NIAO has called for the Department of Finance to commission a fundamental review of procurement processes.

Public bodies depend upon procurement to purchase goods, services, and construction works, enabling them to deliver the services they are responsible for. The Department of Finance estimates that around 25 per cent of the total resources available to the Northern Ireland Executive are used for procurement.

The Procurement Board is responsible for ensuring that procurement activity is carried out effectively and delivers value for money, but the Comptroller and Auditor General assesses that there “is little evidence that the board has been effective in providing the strategic direction to ensure that procurement has operated effectively in Northern Ireland”.

Outlining the context for public procurement in Northern Ireland, the

NIAO highlights that the quality of public procurement “has been subject to repeated criticism”.

“There has been a heavy emphasis placed upon the apparent inability of public bodies to deliver large-scale construction and IT projects on time and within budget, with weaknesses in procurement arrangements often highlighted as key reasons for failure.

“Key structural and cultural issues –particularly a culture of undue risk aversion and inadequate commercial capacity and capability across the wider public sector workforce – are said to underpin the examples of poor performance.”

The NIAO report does acknowledge some improvements in procurement

A persistent culture of undue risk aversion and concerns about the overall level of commercial capacity and capability are long-standing concerns in the system responsible for spending around one-quarter of Northern Ireland’s budget.

Key Findings from DoF Contract Management Culture Audit (January 2022)

processes in recent years. The 2020 New Decade, New Approach agreement made public procurement transformation a priority, and a number of initiatives, including the reconstitution of the Procurement Board, a social value policy, and a supply chain security policy, have been deemed successful.

However, the NIAO assesses that these improvements “have not fully addressed the strategic weaknesses in procurement arrangements”.

“While a new Procurement Board has recently delivered some improvements to processes, it does not provide the strategic direction necessary to a function that spends around a quarter of the Northern Ireland block grant,” it states.

“Without effective performance monitoring and in the absence of appropriate data, the Board is incapable of demonstrating that the Northern Ireland procurement function represents value for money.”

Amongst the key concerns raised by the NIAO are:

• the absence of a specific strategy for what procurement arrangements in Northern Ireland should look like;

• a pervasive risk to procurement practice across the public sector due to capacity and capability issues;

• a lack of governance and accountability at a strategic level to assess functionality; and

• a lack of centrally held, meaningful data about even the most basic aspects of procurement activity.

In recommendations to tackle these issues, the NIAO says that alongside the commissioning of a fundamental review, the Department of Finance should develop a new, time-bound strategy to underpin how procurement functions in Northern Ireland. Additionally, the report suggests the development of the strategic oversight of capacity and capability, including baseline standards for Centres of Procurement Expertise and contracting authorities, against which performance can be measured. Finally, the report suggests arrangements that will enable all bodies to provide complete, accurate, and timely procurement data, to enable effective oversight.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, Dorinnia Carville, has set out a belief that “without fundamental changes to culture and structures, as well as to processes, this is likely to continue”.

The Procurement Board, which was restructured in December 2020, cannot meet in the absence of a Minister of Finance, who chairs the board. The next Finance Minister will decide on the

composition and role of any future Procurement Board.

Asked how the Department of Finance intended to take forward the Audit Office’s recommendations in the absence of a sitting board, a spokesperson for the Department said: “The Department welcomes the NI Audit Office’s report and its recognition of the progress made in delivering and implementing significant new policies relating to social value and supply chain security alongside improvements to the way in which policy and guidance is disseminated to and used by public bodies. Public procurement is a key enabler to deliver economic, environmental, and social considerations through public spending.

“At a time of financial constraints, having the right strategy, leadership, governance, and accountability for our procurement functions is of critical importance. Establishing the right structures and governance will require accurate and timely data, which the report has highlighted as an issue.

“The Department will work with NICS departments to review the recommendations and how these can be taken forward.”

NILGA: Empowering local government

The loss of some very experienced councillors who saw us through some extremely difficult times following Covid19 and the recent cost of living crisis, will be felt by the sector. However, looking forward, we know that returning councillors have renewed their ambition and focus and we look forward to the contribution of new councillors who will bring different perspectives and experiences to our work.

Pressure on public finances

Councils are not immune to the serious pressures on public finances, having moved from a pandemic to a local and national economic crisis.

However, councils are determined to realise their ambitions for communities despite those challenges. Enhanced confidence in councils to deliver for people is one of the positive legacies of the pandemic with local government demonstrating agility, dynamic planning, real connection with communities, innovation and high levels of accountability and democratic oversight. People in Northern Ireland can be sure that those local government values will continue to ensure councils deliver for them. Councillors and councils know their areas better than any other part of the public sector.

NILGA will support the 11 councils in Northern Ireland in their drive to be bold

and ambitious for the future by working with councillors, council officers, regional and central government and partners.

Looking to the future

When our government returns to Stormont the ministers will have extremely full in-trays and will have to prioritise what is at the heart of the community and the most important issues effecting the people of Northern Ireland.

Councils are the arm of government closest to the communities they serve. This puts councils in a unique position to deliver high quality public services in response to community need.

Following the success of the recent local government elections, local government is looking to the future.

(L:R): NILGA President Councillor Martin Kearney; Chair of Solace NI Roger Wilson (Chief Executive of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council); and National Association of Councillors Northern Ireland Chair Councillor Terry Andrews.

During the 2023-2027 local government mandate NILGA will work to empower councils and the local government sector by:

• supporting councils to maximise their financial sustainability with a focus on value for public money;

• working to further improve the partnership between central and local government;

• Supporting councils in leading their own transformation and innovation;

• enabling confident politically led representation for the sector in what is an increasing complex decision making environment;

• delivering high quality learning and development for councillors;

• working with partners to improve the effectiveness of the Code of Conduct for councillors;

• advocating for the further devolution of powers and resources to support local decision making;

• ensuring councils can shape regional and national policy to create the conditions for local economic, social and environmental resilience; and

• reinvigorating recognition for the role councils both for councillors and council officers.

Championing diversity in public life

NILGA has an important role to play by ensuring that councillors are supported and enabled to represent the needs of their communities effectively.

The 2021 Census results published in 2022 show that Northern Ireland is more diverse than ever with an everincreasing blend of people with a range of experiences, opinions and views.

NILGA champions diversity in public life and works with the local government associations in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland on this very important issue.

Our ‘Be a Councillor, Make a Difference’ campaign was delivered in 2022 with the support of the 11 councils and political parties. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds to consider making the leap into public life and politics, as more diverse politics brings better policies, better legislation and greater inclusivity with wider perspectives on how to improve our communities for everyone in them.

The campaign was led by councillors in the 2019-2023 local government mandate sharing their own experiences of how diversity in public life can add so much value to discourse and decision making.

NILGA was delighted to see an increasingly diverse group of candidates standing for election in the local government elections on 18 May 2023 and looks forward to continuing this work.

Supporting our councillors

NILGA also invests in the skills and knowledge of the 462 councillors in Northern Ireland. We do this by providing a regional programme of accredited and non-accredited learning and development opportunities for councillors, tailored to the requirements of their role.

This supports councillors in their role as democratically elected decision-makers in what is an increasingly complex operating environment.

Some recent examples of opportunities include:

• valuing data and evidence;

• scrutiny and challenge;

• performance improvement;

• code of conduct;

• local government finance for councillors;

• mental health and wellbeing for councillors; and

• civil contingencies/emergency planning.

NILGA also oversees the Councillor Development Charter in Northern Ireland, which provides a robust, structured framework designed to help councils enhance and embed councillor development in their work.

T: 028 9079 8972

W: www.nilga.org

How NILGA helps councils in Northern Ireland

NILGA is the Northern Ireland Local Government Association. We are the council-led representative body for local authorities in Northern Ireland and our membership is drawn from each of the 11 Northern Ireland councils. We fulfil our leadership role by working with councils to identify common areas of strategic interest at a regional level and working in partnership with key regional, national and international bodies and stakeholders to represent those interests and shape relevant regional, national and international policy.

(L:R): Councillor Billy Webb; Jennifer Close (Head of Human Resources); Councillor Rosin Lynch; Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Stephen Ross; Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Councillor Leah Smyth; Fiona Douglas (NILGA) Chief Executive of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council; and Jacqui Dixon.

Integrated Education Strategy described as ‘paper-thin’

Integrated education strategy

Following the passage of the Integrated Education Act in 2022, the Department of Education is legally obliged to give “stronger support” to integrated education.

The legislation, which was brought

forward by Alliance Party MLA Kellie Armstrong, means the Department has to grow the number of integrated school places and the number of children educated in them.

The newly-published Integrated Education Strategy has been critiqued for not setting targets for growth of pupil or school numbers, as well as a failure to

specify how much money the Department will spend on growing integrated education.

The strategy document states that, between April 2022 and March 2023 the Department created an additional 95 places for pupils in integrated schools through temporary variation.

The Department of Education has published a new integrated education strategy which does not set any targets for increased pupil or school numbers in integrated education, and does not specify any monetary needs.

It further sets out 15 actions that the Department of Education will undertake, including assessing demand for integrated education, publishing data on said demand, and updated information and guidance for parents.

However, the strategy does not specify the amount of pupils or schools it aims to have in an integrated education setting, nor does it state the amount of money to be allocated to integrated education in the Department of Education’s spending. What is known is that, in the 2022/23 fiscal year, £111 million was spent on integrated education in Northern Ireland, which was roughly 8 per cent of the budget for the Department of Education. The strategy document states that “a budget allocation has been identified to support implementation of this initial strategy”. No figure was attributed within the strategy but it is expected that a forthcoming action plan will identify costs of implementation.

It continues: “As the implementation of the strategy develops, a fuller and more detailed assessment of budget requirements will be needed.”

Under Section 9 (1) (e) of the Integrated Education Act 2022, it is stipulated that the Department of Educations sets out an action plan for further implementation, although it is not clear how this will manifest itself. The strategy document states that the action plan will be prepared in consultation with “persons with knowledge and experience of integrated schools including teachers, governors, pupils, families, and sectoral and community bodies”.

Adam McGibbon from Integrated AlumNI, a representative group for former integrated education students, critiqued the strategy as aiming to grow integrated education at a “snail’s pace”.

“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP suggested that integrated education 'should be the norm, not the exception', but this paper-thin strategy ensures that for many Northern Ireland parents and kids, they still won't even have the choice of an integrated school,” McGibbon said.

The Department of Education will carry out a public consultation on the action plan over the summer, with the aim of having all consultations submitted by September 2023, meaning that the action plan will not be operational for the next academic year.

SEN place shortfall

A further challenge facing the Department of Education is a potential shortage of SEN pupil places for the upcoming academic year, with the Education Authority (EA) warning of a potentially “significant shortfall” in places in special schools in the upcoming academic year.

An Education Authority committee meeting on 6 April 2023 was told that there is a need for 853 additional pupil places in special schools and 400 places

in specialist classes in mainstream schools.

In the 2022/23 academic year, there were almost 7,000 pupils in Northern Ireland's 39 special schools and a further 3,200 were in specialist provision in mainstream schools.

Specialist provision in mainstream schools classifies special classes or units which provide extra support to pupils with additional needs in primaries and postprimaries.

In a letter to heads of school and governors, the EA said there was a 15 per cent rise in the number of children with a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) seeking a school place in 2023.

To cope with those numbers, special schools also need an additional 76 classrooms by September 2023, estimated to cost around £80 million. However, the EA committee heard that, at present, only 18 of those extra classrooms were confirmed for the start of the new school year, and an additional 49 classes will be needed in mainstream schools.

Given the austerity budget currently facing the Department of Education, it is unclear whether these needs will be met.

CGI outlines its ambitions for Northern Ireland base

CGI, the global IT and business consulting services firm, has further outlined its plans for establishing a base in Northern Ireland at a recent stakeholder event held in the Observatory of the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast.

The Canadian company, founded in 1976, has recently invested in a Centre of Digital Excellence in Belfast, with plans to create 50 new jobs. These are the first Northern Ireland based roles for the company, adding to its existing UK workforce of almost 6,000 professionals and over 90,000 worldwide.

CGI delivers transformative digital services to empower organisations and enhance the lives of citizens. They develop and implement bespoke IT systems for leading organisations such as HSBC and the BBC, and provide innovative digital solutions for many government departments, agencies and councils across the UK.

Speaking at the event, Senior Vice President and Business Unit Leader for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Lindsay McGranaghan shared details on the company’s expansion plans in Northern Ireland: “We are excited to share more details about our ambitions for Northern Ireland, where we will continue to develop great local talent to help deliver world-class IT capabilities and solutions to meet the evolving digital needs of both local and global customers.

“This will focus initially on the public sector and CGI global customers, who already operate in Northern Ireland, who can benefit from our global expertise and innovation. With core capabilities and credentials in areas like justice, land management, critical national infrastructure, health and local council services, we are looking forward to bringing that experience and expertise to bear in Northern Ireland.”

Welcoming this ambition Jeremy Fitch, Executive Director, Invest NI said: “With Belfast’s fast-growing reputation as a

Jeremy Fitch, Invest NI; Lindsay McGranaghan, CGI; and Ken Brundle, Canadian Honorary Consul for Northern Ireland at CGI's stakeholder event in Belfast.

Michelle Sherrard, Director, Northern Ireland.

tech-hub, the CGI Centre of Digital Excellence will be able to benefit from the talent-pool of skilled graduates from Queen’s University and Ulster University. We want to highlight what Northern Ireland offers and the primary thing that has attracted CGI here is the quality of the talent.”

Simon Hamilton, Chief Executive, Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, who attended the event, also sees CGI’s arrival as a vote of confidence in Northern Ireland: “Belfast Chamber are delighted to see CGI expand their presence, bringing an initial 50 new jobs. It really showcases just how thriving a tech city like Belfast is; how our excellent, highly skilled workforce is attracting companies from Canada to come here to dip into that talent pool; to grow their business and to expand their premises.”

A significant differentiator for CGI is that employees are also ‘members’ of the company and most staff are shareholders. McGranaghan explains how this benefits colleagues and clients: “With staff also shareholders of CGI, it gives employees the incentive to make decisions in the best interests of clients while driving their own careers. We also operate a metro-based model of working meaning that our members live where they work, delivering projects that benefit local citizens while actively supporting their local communities.”

As an illustration of that commitment to the local community Lisa McIlvenna, Deputy Managing Director at Business in the Community (BITC) spoke at the event and highlighted the good work already being done: “CGI has already built a relationship with BITC, to make sure that from the get go they’re tapping into the right communities, in the right way that makes sense for them as a business but also makes sense for the community. It’s only when you get into

the communities here that you really understand some of the challenges they face, but also the skills and strengths that they can bring, to offer to business. We look forward to working with CGI to fulfil that potential for them and for communities across Northern Ireland.”

Responding to the arrival of a new Canadian investor in Northern Ireland Ken Brundle, Canadian Honorary Consul for Northern Ireland added: “CGI are very highly rated for their employability and the nature of their work really suits Northern Ireland. We know and understand that to be successful internationally you’ve got to have an international footprint and CGI coming to Belfast is wonderful for us. We have over 7,000 Canadians living in Northern Ireland, plus another two to three thousand permanent residents; our links go back many years. We have two excellent universities here and the match between them and CGI is going to bear fruit for both parties.”

McGranaghan agrees and suggests that this is already paving the way for further job creation: “We are very pleased with the response to our arrival in Northern

Ireland and are excited about several early prospects in the pipeline to deliver some interesting and innovative projects. This, alongside our ambition to work with local universities, the wider research community and technology startups to bring forward exciting innovation and IP, gives us confidence that we can grow our presence here even further. While doing so, we will be focused on delivering social value outcomes locally. We are excited by the opportunities that lie ahead to showcase Northern Ireland's talent, innovation and entrepreneurship to the wider CGI client base around the world.”

For further information on CGI’s work in Northern Ireland visit www.cgi.com/uk/cgi-in-northernireland

CGI has recently secured its position in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work List 2023 with an 89 per cent average engagement score and 14 per cent above the IT industry average rating.

Lindsay McGranaghan, Senior Vice President addresses the room.

Chris Shorthouse, Vice President for Client Engagement.

The ‘power of where’: Geospatial technology

David Pegg, Director, Consulting Services at CGI, discusses the role of geospatial as a ‘democratiser’ and economic catalyst.

Welcome to the world of geospatial technology, the ‘power of where’. Geospatial is not just mapping technology and location data, geospatial provides everyone, including organisations the length and breadth of Northern Ireland, with the ability to make records accessible to everyone. The newest geospatial technologies open up access to traditional location data and create an added ‘layer’ that sits on top of the tech, for instance, digital mapping, to provide the automated intelligence needed to add real value to citizens in their everyday lives. In other words, geospatial is the ultimate democratiser as it encourages us all to engage to make our services better.

This is especially the case with land and property services. Geospatial opens up a wealth of potential opportunities, such

as valuing all domestic and nondomestic properties in Northern Ireland, following up and processing payments for rate bills, inspecting vacant properties, providing up-to-date accurate land information services, or creating technology that monitors the environmental health of key parts of our ecosystem.

CGI is a global leader in this geospatial industry. Its reputation as a significant player has been built through an extensive set of local delivery centres, of which Northern Ireland has become the newest, and backed by a network of over 700 geospatial experts worldwide, representing one of the largest geospatial consultancies in the world. These unique resources are available to support CGI’s professionals and clients across the globe and bring its extensive expertise to the doorstep of our customers.

From seabed to space, CGI has a track record of combining these key principles with its global experience and detailed local knowledge. For example, CGI is working with the charity Project Seagrass. Using geospatial, CGI is aiding the conservation of seagrass, one of the UK’s most promising carbon sinks capable of absorbing around 10 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions. Together, CGI and Project Seagrass analysed the rich data source of Orkney and its seagrass meadows to develop a unique identification algorithm which can locate and quantify meadows worldwide, including along the shores of Northern Ireland.

A further example is the Welsh Government harnessing CGI’s location technology to provide a single electronic register of all Wales’ common land, towns and village greens. The Welsh Government maintains records for 1,700 commons, towns and village greens, 12,500 maps, 25,000 register pages and 69,250 land and rights entries. Previously, for a member of the public to inspect the open register and maps, they had to physically travel to one of 22 local authorities’ offices. It was a predominantly paper-based system, with little to no way of sharing data. The Government wanted a single electronic register of all common land, where access online is possible through the click of a mouse.

CGI employed proven open architecture and standards, which offered all the tools needed to deploy location-based services. It also integrated a geospatial portal with back-office admin tools that allow data management including complex geometry editing. CGI managed the third-party scanning provider who digitised the paper records and maps, and using an agile development process delivered a user

interface compliant with the Welsh Government’s recognised standards for design, so it had the necessary controls to ensure ease of use.

As a result, each of the 22 local authorities in Wales now has a single data store for these valuable records, while the Welsh Government can maintain autonomy over their own registered content. The solution also provides substantial efficiencies through ease of access and sharing of information for both the public and the local authorities. Other benefits included a National Data capture specification that details the ways text and boundaries can be scanned and digitised.

Geospatial capability is always evolving. As the above examples show, the outcomes can transform experiences not only for organisations looking to leverage them in a way that significantly enhances their service delivery, but also benefits end users. This in turn can have a hugely positive impact on our economy and environment. CGI is excited to bring these solutions to Northern Ireland.

For further information on CGI’s work in Northern Ireland visit www.cgi.com/uk/cgi-in-northernireland

Funding Northern Ireland’s public services

Jayne Brady, the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and Neil Gibson, the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Finance responded to MPs on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in Westminster, which recently launched an inquiry into funding for Northern Ireland’s key public services.

The inquiry aims to establish the full ramifications for the funding of public services in the absence of failures to agree a multi-year budget for Northern Ireland since 2015.

Services under examination include health, education, and the police, while the inquiry will also look at how the lack of a functioning Executive has impacted on budgetary management within these services.

The committee is enquiring whether the Barnett formula is fit for purpose, on the back of some claims that Northern Ireland is not receiving its fair share in Treasury funding. Furthermore, MPs will examine the viability of other options for increasing revenue to put Northern Ireland’s finances on a more sustainable footing.

Describing the current financial situation in Northern Ireland as “extremely concerning, committee Chair Simon Hoare MP said: “With the Northern Ireland Assembly not sitting and the Executive absent, decisions on funding and spending will in effect be made in Westminster and by civil servants in Northern Ireland. This is less than ideal given the specific challenges faced by Northern Ireland.”

‘No V-shaped recovery’

Under questioning from committee chair Hoare, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, stated that the Secretary of State’s recent budget could be “strategically very damaging” to Northern Ireland’s finances. “It is very helpful that there is amelioration of the £297 million [due to be repaid to UK Reserve following an overspend in 2022/23], so that we do not have a Vshaped recovery, which could be strategically very damaging to our finances,” stated Brady.

Questioning Brady, DUP MP Carla Lockhart asserted that “in Northern Ireland we get £1.21 for every £1 spent in England, despite our assessed need of £1.29,” subsequently enquiring on the

An inquiry by MPs examining the suitability of the Barnett formula in delivering a block grant for public services in Northern Ireland has heard evidence from senior civil servants.

impact on public services of this perceived imbalance in per capita funding.

Brady asserted that Northern Ireland’s comparatively rural population means that there is a need for a rise in per capita funding, although she did not directly address the Barnett formula.

“These problems are not a product of the current situation; they will be there whatever the Executive. While it is a very challenging budget for the Secretary of State, it would also be a very challenging budget without any amelioration for an incoming Executive.

“The one to four percentage speaks to the need for that policy intervention and a longer-term perspective, so that our rurality, our need, and those aspects are filtered into that position.”

‘A conversation is needed’

Neil Gibson, the Department of Finance’s Permanent Secretary, added: “We are rapidly if not already at the point at which the funding per head is not at the level of measured need. There is a debate to be had about that measurement of need,” Gibson stated.

“The Fiscal Council has rightly used the same methodology used in Wales in the Holtham commission and tried to replicate that analysis. Northern Ireland has some other differences that might need consideration above and beyond the situation in Wales, but it is important to set even that empirical assessment in the context of how rapidly we are approaching that point, and the context in which we are doing it.”

Whilst spending per head is higher in Northern Ireland than other UK regions, Gibson asserted that this is necessary and seemingly, though not

explicitly, agreed with the proposition that the Barnett formula be re-examined.

“If your level of funding per head is coming closer and closer to measured or objective need and potentially dipping below it, and you are doing that at a time of a significant cost-of-living crisis and inflationary pressures, it would be the worst and most challenging time to be on that particular trajectory.

“It is not the only conversation that needs to take place. The funding of public services and the measurement of need open up the conversation about other sources of revenue that might be available,” he continued.

“If you look at the analysis of need, many of the components of need are fixed, such as rurality or sparseness of population. But some are not, such as benefit dependency levels and long-term illness levels, and you want to be investing your money in ways that reduce that need in the future.”

Gibson, however, warned MPs that debates on the necessary funding model must go beyond examining the merits of the Barnett formula in place.

“While a discussion about a potential fiscal floor is certainly one of the conversations, it must not be framed in a narrative of the long-term vision being to have perpetual need. The long-term vision is to invest well so that the level of need might, in some areas, be less in the future, but to do that by dipping below that need in the teeth of the crisis we are facing is incredibly difficult, getting on to the transformational trajectory that you might want to get to,” Gibson concluded.

“While it is a very challenging budget for the Secretary of State, it would also be a very challenging budget without any amelioration for an incoming Executive.”

Jayne Brady, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service

Beneath the surface: Innovation in education

Technology is often associated with increased automation and reduced human interaction, but for schools, technological advancements are making education more accessible, innovative and collaborative. Innovation in education enables young people to progress and succeed.

To support the enhanced use of technology in schools, the Education Authority (EA), through funding from the Department of Education (DE) and in partnership with Capita and Microsoft Ireland, distributed 20,900 Microsoft Surface Pro 7 devices to every teacher in more than 1,100 schools across Northern Ireland in August 2022. This investment of nearly £20 million provides essential education hardware and software to support teaching and learning experiences, as well as enabling teachers to continue their professional development.

The rollout of the devices is part of a wider educational transformation programme called Education Information Solutions (EdIS), which will deliver digital solutions to facilitate unparalleled learning experiences and improve access to important services for schools, parents, and other stakeholders. As the technology partner, Capita with C2kNI, commissioned an independent and rigorous baseline study to assess the current use of

educational technology by teachers in Northern Ireland.

The report examines how the deployment of devices has been received by teachers and lays the groundwork for longer-term analysis of the impact of digital technologies on teaching and learning.

Understanding the landscape: Professional learning sessions (PLS)

Two teacher-facing surveys were conducted before and after the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 rollout sessions in August 2022. 1,335 and 827 teachers completed the pre-PLS survey and post-PLS survey respectively. Most respondents (pre 67.42 per cent and post 71.58 per cent) were from the primary school sector representing 10.81 per cent and 7.11 per cent of all primary school teachers in Northern Ireland in the pre and post studies respectively. Representation from the remaining sectors was lower. Nonetheless, the survey data reflects 6.89

per cent (pre) and 4.27 per cent (post) of the entire teaching population in Northern Ireland.

Key findings: Impact of educational technology

Supports teaching and learning

Almost 90 per cent of teachers believe that the use of Microsoft Surface Pro 7 in their classrooms will enhance their teaching and learning and enable them to complete tasks more efficiently.

Enhances skills development

Despite current pressures in schools, 37 per cent of teachers have sufficient time to integrate their Microsoft Surface Pro 7 devices into their teaching. While over half of teachers say they have easy access to resources and support to develop educational use from their Surface Pro 7.

Pictured with Anna Steede from C2k is Gillian Parkinson and Danielle McAlister from Ashgrove Nursery School, Newtownabbey receiving their new Surface Pro Teacher devices delivered by Capita.

Enables professional collaborations and interactions

Most teachers felt that using technology would improve collaboration among colleagues and enhance teaching, with half of the respondents planning to take action.

Expands remit of teacher professional learning (TPL)

To support widespread integration and effective use within the classroom, there is a clear need to explore the broader affordances of educational technologies with pre-service and in-service teachers.

Recommendations

According to the report, schools need to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of educational technologies to remain relevant and responsive to learners’ needs. Further recommendations have also been suggested for all key agencies, which include:

• creating an up-to-date strategic plan for the development of digital teaching and learning;

• enhancing teacher professional learning (TPL) opportunities by:

o developing integrated structures from the initial to CPD phases of teacher education;

o promoting effective practices through EdTech connections, summit-like gatherings and ongoing opportunities;

o developing a teacher mentoring scheme where clusters, specific teaching and learning areas, or key policy agendas can be shared among schools; and

o incentivising all teachers with criterion-referenced digital teacher awards.

• the increased use of quality markers such as NAACE and Digital Schools Award programmes;

• development of the General Teaching Council’s Teacher Competences related to digital wellbeing, cyber safety and resilience, understanding the benefits of blended and collaborative learning, as well as knowledge and skills related to data and administration efficiency gains through whole-school approaches; and

• introducing the SELFIE framework for learning, teaching, and digital leadership to help schools remain internationally relevant.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the author, Sammy Taggart and supporting researcher, Stephen Roulston for their invaluable work, commitment and rigour in producing this research on behalf of Ulster University. We are equally thankful to all the teachers who have so willingly shared their time, knowledge and experiences with the team. These contributions will be significant in transforming educational technology in Northern Ireland’s schools, now and in the future.

W: www.capita.com

EA C2k are very pleased to lead on the procurement and implementation of this important programme. Teachers are professionals and these devices will ensure that they have the capability to deliver world class education with the correct devices in their hands. We are using the Ulster University research to support staff through our Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) offering which is co-designed by practitioners in schools.

Damian Harvey, Interim Head of EA C2k

Capita is delighted to work with EA C2k and Microsoft Ireland to successfully deploy Surface Pro devices ahead of schedule and to support the Teacher Professional Learning. The devices enable teachers to effectively utilise technology in the classroom to improve teaching and learning, and Teachers are now collaborating more across the system to identify opportunities to continually improve the adoption of technology in their classrooms.

Ross Anderson, Managing Director, Schools, Capita

This has been an incredible programme to be involved in, seeing the implementation and the impact of Surface Pro devices in teaching and learning alongside the enhancement to collaboration and teacher professional learning in Northern Ireland schools is remarkable.

Kevin Marshall, Head of Learning and Skills at Microsoft Ireland

Housing report

Supporting People 20th anniversary

The purpose of the programme is to offer vulnerable people the opportunity to improve their quality of life, by supporting and enabling them to live more independently.

Supporting People plays a crucial role, not only in the housing and the health and social care sectors, but across communities in Northern Ireland.

It provides vital ongoing support to vulnerable households across Northern Ireland.

As we celebrate the successes of Supporting People, the measure of success comes from the real improvements to the lives of many people and how they have benefitted from invaluable support at some of the most challenging times in their lives.

To date, the Supporting People Programme has invested over £1.2 billion. Last year over £76 million was distributed to 82 service providers who deliver over 800 vital services to over 19,000 individuals across Northern Ireland.

Established in April 2003, the programme is delivered in partnership with Health and Social Care and the Department of Justice, on behalf of the Department for Communities. Grant funding is paid to partner organisations to enable them to deliver services that provide housing-related support and assistance to service users, enabling them to live as independently as possible in the community.

The Supporting People Programme in Northern Ireland has three broad objectives:

Over the last 20 years, the Housing Executive, as the strategic housing authority for Northern Ireland, has held the responsibility for securing the provision of housing-related support services and the administrative responsibility for delivering the Supporting People Programme.

• achieve a better quality of life for vulnerable people to live more independently and maintain their tenancies;

• provide housing support services to prevent problems that can often lead to hospitalisation, institutional care, or homelessness; and

• help to smooth the transition to independent living for those leaving an institutionalised environment.

The programme is focused on four thematic areas; supporting people who are experiencing homelessness; young people; older people; and people with a disability, including mental health and learning disabilities. Over 19,000 people are supported to live independently each year.

The programme has a broad provider base with organisations spanning across the public, private, community and voluntary sectors, delivering;

• short-term accommodation and support for people in housing need (hostels, refuges and foyers);

• long-term accommodation and support to sustain a home (supported accommodation);

• floating support delivered into people’s homes for a short period of time (up to two years) to maintain or regain independent living; and

• longer term peripatetic/dispersed support delivered into people’s homes to maintain independent living for people with more enduring needs.

The core functions of housing related support include:

• promoting housing stability and ensuring security of tenure;

• ensure income is maximised, to meet housing and other costs;

• ensure access to health and social care and specialist services;

• training and support with daily living skills;

• encouragement and support of positive friendships and family relationships; and

• encouragement and support of positive community links and participation.

Housing support services funded through the programme are often provided alongside a range of measures from other agencies as part of a continuum of services.

The Supporting People Programme not only provides assistance for vulnerable people to live independently in their own home, it also reduces other costs to the public purse. A report commissioned by NICVA in 2015* estimated that every £1 spent on the Supporting People services saves the public purse £1.90. The Housing Executive also commissioned research in 2020 on the ‘Social Return on Investment’ and the findings indicated that every £1 spent on Supporting People between 2018 and 2021 generated a social value of £1: £5.71.

The preventative value of the Supporting People Programme, relieving financial pressure on the wider public sector, cannot be overemphasised.

In 2022, the Housing Executive introduced the Supporting People Strategic Plan and Covid-19 Recovery Plan 2022-2025 which focuses on driving recovery and re-build beyond Covid-19, working towards closing the 14 per cent gap between need for services and supply, collaborating with providers to invest in service innovation to achieve greater outcomes and strengthening relationships across health, criminal justice and housing with the aim of generating greater value from public funds.

The new plan can be found online at nihe.gov.uk and searching Supporting People.

Developed following extensive engagement with stakeholders including service users from the voluntary, community, and statutory sectors, we look forward to continue working with all our partners.

To mark the 20th Anniversary of the Supporting People Programme in Northern Ireland, the Housing Executive is organising a series of activities and

events to highlight and promote the impact, benefits and positive outcomes for service users throughout the 20 years of the programme. This includes the production of a film documenting the work of Supporting People, provider organisations and the impact the programme has had on the lives of those supported.

The film will premiere at an event in the Parliament Buildings, Stormont, in June 2023 and will be made available through the Housing Executive’s social media channels. During the event partners, providers and staff will gather to celebrate the success and impact of the programme over the last two decades. Speakers will highlight the significance and impact of the programme as well as its future priorities.

The collaboration between the Housing Executive, the Department for Communities, the Department of Health and the Department of Justice has been a productive joined-up approach in the successful delivery of the Supporting People Programme over the past two decades.

We also thank Supporting People staff who administer the programme and the invaluable contribution of service provider staff who have made, and continue to make, a remarkable and positive difference to the lives of so many people.

For further information about Supporting People, please contact:

The Housing Centre

2 Adelaide Street

Belfast, BT2 8PB

T: 0344 892 0900

W: www.nihe.gov.uk

*Centre for Economic Empowerment (2015) The Financial Benefits of the Supporting People Programme in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland: NICVA

Some examples of the valuable assistance provided through Supporting People

Homelessness

Hosford House is a homeless project of East Belfast Mission providing support and shelter for the last 20 years. It is a 26-bed hostel for single men and women. Accommodation involves several different options (including move on apartments) depending on the needs of the clients. Clients are helped towards a goal of moving to independent accommodation with access to extensive support to help tackle and deal with the problems they encounter.

Supporting People also fund East Belfast Mission to provide the Hosford Tenancy Support Service which provides floating support to help people maintain their tenancies and avoid homelessness through regular one-toone support to people who are at risk of homelessness.

Disability/mental health

Camphill Clanabogan works to create communities in which adults, many with learning difficulties, can live, learn and work with others in healthy social relationships. There are over 80 people in Clanabogan, of which 30 units of support funded through Supporting People.

Baking, weaving, ceramics, woodwork and other handicrafts are developed in workshops where groups of people learn to work sociably and creatively. People are also supported to express themselves creatively through crafts, music and drama.

Members of multi-disciplinary teams including podiatry, GPs, community nurses, speech and language, and occupational therapy carry out visits to the service. This provides a holistic approach to community life within Clanabogan.

Young people

Belfast Central Mission Supported Housing for Young People, Tafelta Rise, Magherafelt provides 13 self-contained apartments for young people from 16 to 21 years. Accommodation is available for up to two years and referrals are accepted from the Housing Executive and NH&SCT. Four of the units are available for young people under 18 years of age.

The project aims to support vulnerable young people to develop the skills to live independently in the community.

Belfast Central Mission Supported Housing aims to work in partnership with each young person and to offer them the opportunity to experience a gradual transition from residential, family or foster care to independent living in the community.

Older people

Donard Fold offers 25 units of apartment style accommodation specially designed for over 55s who want to live independently with the reassurance of 24 hour support.

Independent living apartments offer the opportunity to take full advantage of the communal areas and designated tenant gardens with the added comfort of a safe and secure living environment.

Independent living tenants have the choice to take part in a wide range of social activities, events, and outings.

‘Concerted action’ needed for housing decarbonisation

The CCC’s advice report, The Path to a Net Zero Northern Ireland, notes that the 24 per cent decrease seen in emissions since in 1990 “comes largely from a fall in buildings emissions in the early 1990s”, as well as other sectors in the 2000s, but also notes that buildings emissions are up 1 per cent since 2009. To be on track for the CCC’s ‘stretch ambition’, which would see Northern Ireland decarbonise by 93 per cent overall rather than the legally binding 100 per cent, emissions from the buildings sector – which accounted for 3MtCO2e in 2020 – would need to fall by 33 per cent from 2020 to 2030.

While the buildings sector is not solely made up of homes, the advice report also states that by 2030 for all homes off-gas grid and 2033 for all homes on-gas grid, all new heating appliance installations should be zero carbon if the 33 per cent and 93 per cent reductions for 2030 and 2050 respectively are to be met. Under the CCC’s balanced pathway, which would reach 83 per cent decarbonisation overall by 2050, it is recommended that the rate of residential buildings decarbonisation be slowed down to match the UK Tailwinds pathway. Buildings emissions in Northern Ireland were found to fall much faster than in England due to the disparity in homes off-gas grid (circa 65 per cent in Northern Ireland compared to 12 per cent in England), but the CCC warns that “scaling up low-carbon heat so quickly in Northern Ireland could have issues with local workforce skills and supply chains”.

In November 2022, the Housing Executive published its intentions on decarbonising its housing stock, with a retrofit programme to increase energy efficiency by 2030 and a 23 per cent reduction in carbon emissions up to 2030/31 targeted.

As Northern Ireland’s first carbon budget period has already begun, the CCC notes that a step change “must begin immediately”. For the buildings sector, this entails “concerted action” such as the rendering of all newly constructed homes as zero-carbon “as soon as possible”, with no later requirement for retrofit. The CCC states that the achievement of new heating appliances being zero-carbon for offgas grid homes by 2030 and 2033 for on-gas grid homes would necessitate the “necessary strengthening of electricity networks”. Such moves would have massive implications for wider infrastructure and be “unlikely to be compatible with further extension to the Northern Ireland gas network”.

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) states that buildings in Northern Ireland will need to decarbonise by 33 per cent overall by 2030 from 2020 levels.

Increased housing delivery and the net zero challenge

Deputy Secretary of Housing, Urban Regeneration and Local Government at the Department for Communities, Mark O'Donnell, discusses progress on the draft Housing Supply Strategy, expansion of the Social Housing Development Programme, and the challenge of net zero.

The draft Housing Supply Strategy was formed in the context of recognisable challenges in the form of increased housing stress, homelessness, and affordability challenges for both renters and potential owners. Two-and-a-half years after publication, the Strategy has still not received Executive approval and O’Donnell believes that those

original challenges have become even more pronounced.

“Demand has not reduced. It seems fewer households are able to access homeownership, perhaps due to higher mortgage rates, higher property prices, economic uncertainty, or the cost-ofliving crisis,” he says.

Housing Supply as ‘Whole System’ approach

“At the same time, social housing allocations are not where we would want them to be. There is competition for homes.”

The publication of the final Housing Supply Strategy has been delayed due to the lack of a functioning Executive, and while O’Donnell says he cannot pretend there are no consequences to not having a government in place, the extensive engagement process and broad consensus on the core aspects of the strategy has provided confidence to move forward with the development of a first action plan, ensuring work towards implementation is already underway.

Early identified draft actions include providing more social and intermediate homes, including the development of a new intermediate rent product; implementation of the Social Housing Allocations review, and progression of regulations to improve the private rented sector.

O’Donnell stresses that while most of the initial actions fall under the remit of the Department, the “whole system approach” to developing the draft Strategy has helped to forge relationships with stakeholders.

“For example, we have been actively working with other departments and stakeholders to identify and progress actions that will help us deliver on major cross-cutting issues such as skills and infrastructure,” he explains.

“This includes work underway to ensure

wastewater data is being effectively shared and used between relevant bodies. Also, developing actions to upskill and re-skill our existing workforce and making the construction sector an attractive proposition for young people.”

Social housing

O’Donnell emphasises that the provision of new social homes remains a priority for his department, pointing out that despite other financial pressures, the majority of the Department’s capital budget is spent on the delivery of new social homes. The Deputy Secretary explains that aspirations to increase new social housing targets are not only driven by the current waiting lists, but also the growing number of people seeking asylum and evacuees arriving in Northern Ireland in the past year.

“The good will of the public and the voluntary sector have mobilised impressively to meet this challenge, but it all represents strain on our capacity to provide temporary accommodation. This in turn reflects strain on our capacity to provide permanent and appropriate solutions through social housing. The strategic solution is always more social housing.”

Currently, there are two main limiting factors to delivery. The first is budget. The Department estimates the need for at least 33,000 new social homes over the next 15 years, however, recent

analysis shows that if the Department was to increase starts by 50 units per year for the next five years, the cost would be well over £1 billion.

“The budget outlook at the moment is therefore pretty worrying,” states O’Donnell.

The second factor is the capacity to deliver. The Deputy Secretary stresses that the challenges of budget and capacity are interlinked, highlighting that extra funds will only be made available if decision-makers have confidence in the Department’s capacity to spend its allocation.

On plans to increase the Social Housing Development Programme (SHDP), O’Donnell says, “We have been working closely with the Housing Executive, housing associations, and a range of public bodies to identify what actions we need to take and how we might better structure delivery. Real change can only be achieved through genuine cross-departmental and appropriate government commitment to tackle housing need.”

The Deputy Secretary indicates that work is ongoing to identify public land held by government departments which could be released for social housing, while at the same time identifying the potential acquisition of existing

properties, to increase social housing stock.

Discussing additional challenges in relation to wastewater infrastructure and subsequent planning restrictions, O’Donnell says the Department is working with its counterparts in the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to find solutions and prioritise planning for housing in key areas of social housing need.

Climate change

Turning to the other significant challenge shaping the work of the Department and delivery of the Housing Supply Strategy, O’Donnell says that some of the most significant challenges for his department in relation to climate change are directly related to the residential sector.

The Department for Communities is leading the residential element of the buildings sector emission reduction targets. Currently, residential dwellings account for 14 per cent of Northern Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions, but a step change is required if a targeted 33 per cent reduction in the residential sector is to be achieved by 2030.

Highlighting that his department has recently established a new Climate

Change Division to develop policies and actions needed to reduce residential emissions, O’Donnell says that beyond the challenge of a switch away from fossil fuel-based heat systems, there is a need to massively increase the energy efficiency of homes across all residential tenures.

He adds: “We will have to do it carefully to avoid cold bridging, condensation, damp, and mould. And importantly, capacity and skills in our construction sector will need to be enhanced to deliver this.”

The Deputy Secretary believes that, although challenging, the transition to carbon neutrality presents major opportunity for the residential sector, not least the chance to make fundamental change in its ambitions, processes, and social contribution.

“The key role that both the construction of new housing and the retrofitting of existing homes will play in helping to achieve this transition cannot be understated,” he explains.

“Our social housing programme offers the opportunity to lead the way in showing how housing can meet our climate challenges. The Department intends to be proactive in driving the changes necessary to meet our commitments.”

Cost

The Housing Executive’s report on the cost of carbon savings in Northern Ireland’s housing stock indicates a mean cost of £15,600 per dwelling to improve energy efficiency to at least EER band B. With approximately 586,000 eligible dwellings, the total cost would be £9.2 billion.

O’Donnell says that a major part of the policy work will, therefore, be to consider how this transition is funded.

The Deputy Secretary concludes by saying: “We also need to consider climate adaptation for houses which means designing homes to be resilient to future changes in climate – like higher temperatures and more extreme weather causing more flooding.

“Our work on housing continues to move forward, despite the challenges and impediments that we are all facing. We will continue to look for ways to advance our housing programme in every way possible.”

Clean air and cosy feet: An air source heat pump pilot scheme

Both properties are now occupied, with tenants receiving one-to-one training on the system controls and room settings at the start of their tenancies. Five months after he moved in, we caught up with one tenant, George Gallagher, and asked how he found living with the new system.

“The heat pump is quieter and cheaper to run than my previous gas heating system,” he explains. “The air quality has improved too, with less moisture in my new home. I am not even that aware of the system now. I keep it at a steady temperature and do not need to use the hourly boost button. The heat pump itself is very compact and does not take up much room in the back garden.”

So, what is the best part of living with the air source heat pump system?

“It is great having extra space without radiators. I can walk around in my socks with my feet toasty warm in every room,” boasts Gallagher.

The system generates real-time data via room sensors and other monitoring equipment. In addition to collecting this information ourselves, we are sharing it with the Department for the Economy. Collection of the data is done remotely (although the tenant also tracks his own consumption on a weekly spreadsheet), which allows us to diagnose any system faults and, crucially, identify opportunities to improve efficiency and optimise the system for future roll-out.

With that in mind, we undertook a substantial retrofit of two semi-detached bungalows in Fort Street, Banbridge, replacing the old oil-fired central heating systems with outdoor 6kW air source heat pumps connected to an indoor compressor unit and hot water tank. The work was part-funded by the Department for Communities.

The two homes were vacant before the new system and other elements were

installed. This allowed for the works, which included laying underfloor heating throughout, to be carried out without inconveniencing sitting tenants.

In addition to the air source heat pumps, both of the properties have benefited from new cavity wall, floor, and roofspace insulation, and have had solar panels installed. In due course, these will provide a renewable source of electricity to power the air pumps.

Stephen Hunter, Compliance and Sustainability Officer

T: 028 38 339 795

E: stephen@arbourhousing.org

W: www.arbourhousing.org

As a housing association, one of Arbour Housing’s key strategic objectives is to provide high-quality homes that meet the long-term needs of our tenants, while delivering on our commitment to net zero. Sustainability and decarbonisation are important elements of that objective.

Arbour Housing tenant George Gallagher with the air source heat pump installed in his garden in Banbridge.

Intermediate rent: A new policy

The Intermediate Rent Policy, published by the Department for Communities, is tailored towards those earning above the social housing affordability threshold but struggling to access the private rented sector.

Published over two years ago, the draft Housing Supply Strategy set out ambitions to introduce a range of measures to increase the supply of affordable housing. While no Executive has been in place to approve the strategy, significant consultation on it prior to the Executive’s collapse has enabled the Department for Communities to progress some policies, including the Intermediate Rent Policy.

The Intermediate Rent Policy was published and came in to operation on 30 March 2023.

Intermediate rent is neither social housing nor open market private rental. Instead, the model recognises that increased social housing supply alone will not be adequate to address levels

of unmet housing need in Northern Ireland.

Research done by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence for the Department for Communities suggests that Northern Ireland has around 135,000 privately renting households, over a third of whom pay 25 per cent or more of their income in rent. Over 14 per cent of private renters are estimated to be paying 40 per cent or more of their income.

Alongside affordability, security of tenure has been a long-term concern for those in the private rental sector.

The Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 sought to strengthen the rights of tenants in the private rented sector. However, some have argued that an increased onus on landlords does not go far enough.

The Intermediate Rent Policy aims to go some way to addressing both affordability and tenure security, with rents offered at least 20 per cent below prevailing market rents for a similar

property type and size within a locality, and tenancies of up to five years at a time, with the option to renew subject to the agreement of the landlord and tenant.

However, the Department has not stipulated how many additional homes it hopes the policy might generate, instead stating that “detail on the number and location of a first phase of intermediate rent homes remains under development”.

Intermediate rent tenancies will still be private rented tenancies but will differ from open market private tenancies in a number of ways, making it a more suitable option for households who can pay more than social rents, but have affordability issues in the open market. Importantly, the policy is clear that existing occupied dwellings should not be repurposed as intermediate rent.

While it is not intended that tenants have a lifelong tenancy, the policy sets out that intermediate rent homes are intended to remain as such, with a

A new affordable housing policy aimed at longer-term rents at least 20 per cent below market value has been geared at increasing housing supply.

minimum period of 10 years (two consecutive tenancies). There will also be no option to purchase the property at the end of a tenancy.

Funding

Although no funding arrangements have yet been produced, the Department says that it intends to separately provide financial support towards the development and letting of intermediate rent homes, however, in recognising that demand may outstrip supply, the Department has welcomed the development of intermediate rent homes outside of the suggested funding model. Interestingly, the Department states that it will not compel any organisation to deliver intermediate rent.

In a statement, the Department says: “The Department for Communities intends to separately provide financial support towards the development and letting of intermediate rent homes. Work continues to finalise these future funding arrangements. Funding is expected to be made available to an intermediate rent operator who will deliver and let a supply of intermediate rent homes and be awarded funding via a competitive process. The Department will continue to engage with those interested in delivering intermediate rent homes in preparation for awarding funding.

“Subject to budget and approvals, financial assistance in the form of Financial Transactions Capital loan is expected to be made available, alongside a promoter’s contribution, to create a new supply of intermediate rent homes in the future. The Department also welcomes self-funded intermediate rent housing provision.”

The location of intermediate rent homes is not limited, however, it is recognised that the policy may be most effective in areas of high rents and high demand. Alongside the policy, the Department also published a Homes for Intermediate Rent: Design Standards guide, setting out the expected design and finish standards associated with intermediate rent homes.

Eligibility

Single adult applicants for intermediate rent must have an income not exceeding £30,000, rising to a £40,000 ceiling for a two or more adult households, however, it is stated that these homes are not intended to be houses in multiple occupation. The income calculation omits savings up to £30,000, recognising that some tenants may be saving for homeownership, and disability-related benefits, while excluded from a tenant’s income total, can be considered in an ability-to-pay rent assessment.

Initial rent rates of 20 per cent below market value, which cannot change in the first year, if uprated, must remain not more than 80 per cent of market rents for similar properties in the location.

An assessment by the Department states that in line with the policy that a household should not pay more than 30 per cent of their net income on rent, initial intermediate rent rates would be capped at £750 per month for a single adult household and £1,000 per month for a two or more adult household. However, a household may pay up to 40 per cent of their income in “exceptional” and assessed circumstances.

A number of protections for renters of this mode include rent increase, of no more than 5 per cent per year (while still within the 80 per cent of market values range), a nine-month lead in time to tenancy end/renewal, longer term deposit (six to 12 months) payment periods, and provision for prompt and effective repairs by landlords.

On how delivery of the policy will be funded in the absence of a minister, a spokesperson for the Department for Communities said: “Work continues to deliver a funding package which can support the practical delivery of a supply of new intermediate rent homes in the near future.”

Proportion of properties let by rent band – NI, BCCA and other LGDs, H2 2022

Source: Northern Ireland rental index H2 2022.

Apex is ‘more than housing’

The future

Looking ahead there are significant challenges including the lack of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive, inadequate funding to maintain existing services and deliver more much needed housing, rising inflation, and the cost-ofliving crisis. Despite these, Apex believes it is making a difference and remains committed to its vision where every person can enjoy great quality homes and support in vibrant and caring communities.

The new corporate strategy sets out five priorities for the next three years: sustainable communities; high quality, energy efficient homes; quality supported living; an efficient and effective organisation; and skilled people and teams.

Apex recently launched its corporate strategy 2023-26 More than Housing at a staff conference hosted by Wendy Austin, with more than 150 members of the team in attendance. ‘More than Housing’ was the focus of the event, with the name of the new strategy having been chosen by Apex’s Tenant Network.

Celebrating success

Alongside the launch of the strategy, the event shone a light on the unbelievable work of staff over the last three years through presentations and videos. Many going above and beyond for tenants, residents, and communities in what were unprecedented times as a result of the global pandemic.

Reflecting on the challenges faced, Apex acknowledged the success of Skeoge, which is an area of Derry~Londonderry that has seen the development of over 1,000 Apex homes, 570 of which have been handed over to new tenants in the last three years. Through meaningful engagement with local people, Apex has also been successful in building vital

community support in the area, working with Greater Shantallow Area Partnership.

The event also recognised Apex’s contribution to the Department for Communities and Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s Housing for All Shared Housing Programme, which reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society. Apex is proud to have 11 shared housing neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland and will deliver another 137 new homes across four new neighbourhoods during the next three years.

Finally, there is no understating the challenge that faced the Apex teams tasked with delivering supported living services 24/7 during the pandemic. The event acknowledged the strength, resilience, and compassion of those involved in supporting more than 1,200 tenants and residents during a period that imposed unprecedented restrictions.

Peter Caldwell, Chairperson of Apex, says: “It was a pleasure to launch this new Apex corporate strategy 2023-2026 More than Housing at our staff conference, which was a day of acknowledging and celebrating the teams who continue to provide more than housing to our tenants, residents, and communities. Over the next three years, we will continue to respond to the challenges and opportunities that may arise, ensuring we deliver for those who use our services and need our help.”

Sheena McCallion, Chief Executive of Apex, adds: “This new Apex strategy has been developed in consultation with key stakeholders including our board, tenants and staff and sets out our plans for the next three years to continue providing ‘more than housing’. We remain passionate about our vision, committed to our communities, and determined to deliver on the five strategic priorities set out in this strategy.”

Accompanying the More Than Housing corporate strategy, two other strategies were also published by Apex, outlining our plans in the areas of tenant engagement and community investment over the next three years, which further demonstrates our commitment to supporting communities. A new sustainability strategy is also due to be launched in June 2023.

Apex Housing Association (Apex) has launched its 2023-26 corporate strategy.

Sustainability

Apex recognises that its sustainability strategy is just the start of the organisation’s sustainability journey and has set ambitious targets across three key areas: Homes; communities; and association. These targets will help reduce fuel poverty; cut carbon emissions; improve biodiversity; limit resource use; support and motivate staff; deliver high quality, affordable homes; and enhance community support.

Apex has a housing stock of almost 7,000 homes and a further 1,750 homes currently in construction on 13 sites across Northern Ireland. Under the key area of ‘sustainable homes’ Apex is committed to ensuring both existing stock and new developments are sustainable, affordable, energy efficient and safe for tenants and residents.

Ranging in size, Apex is currently developing large scale developments in, Derry~Londonderry, Lisburn, Newry, Newtownabbey, and west Belfast, with smaller developments also underway in Ballycastle, Dungannon, and Eglinton.

The Cashel

One of the exciting developments is the recent commencement of the first 420 social homes on ‘The Cashel’ project, located on the outskirts of Derry~Londonderry, between Whitehouse Road and Coshquin.

‘The Cashel’ is a new urban village project, with an overall plan to provide around 3,000 homes across a mixed tenure of social, affordable and private homes. It will see the creation of a new border village community that includes school sites, play parks, cycle routes

and pedestrian ways. It will also see the delivery of a new high street which will include retail units, a café, gym, and community centre.

Barry Kerr, Apex Director of Development, states: “Commencing construction works on The Cashel is an important milestone in this excellent example of sustainable place shaping. This initial phase will make a significant contribution towards addressing the substantial housing need in the local area. With an important emphasis on remaining carbon conscious and building for the future, supported by the new Northwest Greenway passing alongside the development, we are looking forward to continuing our mission of leading the way in building sustainable communities through the delivery of quality, affordable homes.”

Apex Housing Association

10 Butcher Street

Derry~Londonderry, BT48 6HL

Northern Ireland

T: 028 7130 4800

E: info@apex.org.uk

housing report

Housing in Northern Ireland: Statistical overview

House prices

Average house price in Northern Ireland £175,234

Ranges from £153,244 in Derry City and Strabane to £208,333 in Lisburn and Castlereagh

6,142 residential properties sold during Q4 2022

0.5% quarterly house price decrease in Q4 2022

10.2% house price increase between Q1 2021 and Q4 2022

Rent prices

Average Northern Ireland rent price: £755 per month

Q4 annual rent growth 8.4%

Q4 quarterly rent growth 2.0%

Houses

Average rent £756 per month

Annual rent growth 9.5%

Quarterly rent growth 2.2%

Apartments

Average rent £751 per month

Annual rent growth 6.4%

Quarterly rent growth 1.6%

Source: PropertyPal

Source: PropertyPal

Housing construction

In Q4 2022, the volume of housing output increased by 12.3% compared with Q3 2022

2.6% above the pre-Covid-19 pandemic level seen in Q4 2019

59.2% above the 15-year low seen in Q2 2020

Remains 39.3% below the 15-year high seen in Q4 2007

Social rented sector

44,519 applicants on housing waiting list

32,371 of applicant households in ‘housing stress’

decreased by 1.7% over the year and decreased by 8.3% on a rolling four quarter basis

Annual decrease for the fifth consecutive quarter

In Q4 2022, there were quarterly increases within all housing output sub-components:

• new work housing public (15.3%);

• new work housing private (5.2%);

• repair and maintenance housing public (23.6%); and

• repair and maintenance housing private (12.3%), when compared with the previous quarter.

Source: NISRA

Homelessness

3,411 households presented as homeless to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in Q4 2022

• This means they have 30 or more points under the social housing selection scheme

5,888 properties allocated by the Northern Ireland Hosing Executive and housing associations to applicants on the waiting list who were not already social sector tenants

• 70.4% of total allocations made in 2022

Source: Department for Communities

• Increase of 42 (1.2%) on the same quarter in 2021 (3,369)

1,937 households accepted as full duty applicants in Q4 2022

• Decrease of 230 (10.6%) on the same quarter in 2021 (2,167)

Source: Department for Communities

Market Development Association:

alternative vision for housing’

In April 2023, the Department for Communities (DfC) acquired the vacant Stewart Street site in Belfast’s Market area for housing-led regeneration. In this context, Ciarán Galway visits the area and speaks with Fionntán Hargey, Director of the Market Development Association (MDA), about his community’s longstanding grassroots housing and community regeneration campaigns.

Named after the 14 commercial markets which once surrounded it – St George’s Market being the sole survivor – the Market area of south Belfast is one of the city’s longest established communities. Once an industrial heartland, its streetscape was originally constructed on a grid plan.

With the various industrial ventures which once dotted the area in the early 20th century now consigned to history, the recent conflict compounded the scarring of local geography. The grid system was erased and today, the area has only three points of road access: Stewart Street, Raphael Street, and Eliza Street.

Euphemistically alluded to as “defensive planning”, post-conflict, the consequence for areas such as the Market is continued place-based inequality and socio-spatial segregation from Belfast’s socioeconomic life.

Contained on four sides by East Bridge Street to the north, the Lanyon Place Station railway lines to the east, the Gasworks business park to the south, and Cromac Street (which bisects the area, and was previously intersected by several natural access points from the Market proper) to the west, the Market has been artificially separated from its natural hinterland: the city centre.

“If you look at older maps of the area, it is completely integrated into the city centre. During the redevelopment of Belfast in the late 1960s into the 1970s, three interlocking trends came together: suburbanisation, deindustrialisation, and securitisation of urban planning,” Fionntán Hargey observes.

“The Market, and Belfast as a whole, are not unique in experiencing sociospatial segregation, but it was the combination of those three factors, in the context of the recent conflict, which

exacerbated it beyond the experience of many other cities in the western world.”

In fact, in recent decades, this segregation has been compounded by commercial redevelopment in its surrounding environs. Referencing the Laganside regeneration area which demarcated the land of riverfront to be transformed with £1.2 billion of investment between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, Hargey suggests that it carefully excluding the surrounding inner-city communities that neighbour the River Lagan.

“This exclusion cut deep within the psyche of these inner-city communities like ours, and the message was ‘keep out, you are not welcome’. Indeed, the only regeneration investment that the Market community observed was in gates, walls, and fences,” the MDA Director reflects.

‘An

The MDA launches housing plans for the northern fringe Gasworks site, with former Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey MLA.

Housing need

Established in late 1995, the Market Development Association aims to “promote the wellbeing of all residents living in the Market area of south Belfast”. While the MDA does not employ a dedicated housing officer, almost half of the queries that it receives are related to housing. Discussing housing need withing the Market, the Director explains that an average of 115 families are on the social housing waiting list each year. This figure excludes people experiencing hidden homelessness, because “many local people do not see the point in registering for the waiting list because they do not think they will ever get the required allocation points, are reluctant to linger on the list for years, or do not even understand the system”.

Indeed, in 2018, the MDA community survey which informed We Must Dissent – the MDA’s overarching framework and strategy for community development – found that 86 per cent of Market residents felt that there was not enough decent and affordable housing in the area.

“There is a limited turnover in properties each year. This is exacerbated by the Right to Buy Scheme which is undermining social housing stock,” Hargey notes, elaborating: “The problem that we are observing is that while a social housing unit home may have initially been bought by a tenant as a family home, for myriad reasons that house is eventually sold on and often it is being bought up as an Airbnb or a HMO. Even if someone wanted to buy locally, therefore, they are often being outbid while simultaneously, they cannot get sufficient points to access social housing.”

‘Sunshine not Skyscrapers’

On the eastern edge of the Market, adjacent to Lanyon Place Station, the Stewart Street brownfield site – a roughly rectangular plot of vacant land with a curving boundary to its south – is one of the foremost initial sights greeting rail passengers entering Belfast city centre.

In 2016, a £55 million high-rise development plan for the site crossed the Rubicon, proposing commercial development within the traditionally

residential footprint of the old commercial markets. The local community met the plan with vociferous opposition, coordinated through the ‘Sunshine not Skyscrapers’ campaign under the wider ‘Save the Market’ umbrella.

“The community’s perspective was that the proposed development epitomised all the bad planning precedents that had been happening within the Market community over the decades. In terms of the MDA’s wider strategies around connectivity and breaking the economic barriers that we are grappling with; it was overdevelopment on steroids.”

In the face of what the Director describes as an “existential threat”, the Market community was bolstered by its “alternative vision for housing”. “We were not just opposing development; rather we had a better alternative for both the community and the wider city; a real community regeneration project rather than just commercial speculation.”

Subsequently, residents fought the commercial plan at the Belfast City Council planning committee and initially lost by 10 votes to four. The plan was then subject to judicial review.

“While the judicial review was going on, the community undertook the Save the Market/Sunshine not Skyscrapers campaign. This involved everything from postering, lobbying, and filmmaking to media engagements and street protests,” Hargey describes.

“Ultimately, we won the High Court judicial review in May 2018. Later that

year, the developer sought to resubmit the planning application to Belfast City Council which then referred it to the Ministerial Advisory Group – an independent expert panel convened by the Department for Communities to assess contentious planning applications.

“In early 2019, the Ministerial Advisory Group came back, rejected the proposal, and vindicated the residents’ opposition on the grounds that it would effectively kill off the Tunnels Project. It was overdevelopment in terms of scale and design on that site. When Covid hit in March 2020, the developer then tried again to push ahead with the plan, and it went back to the Belfast City Council planning committee in November 2020 where, inverting the original decision, it lost 10 votes to four.”

Commenting on this “victory for the Market community”, Sinn Féin MLA and former Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey insists: “It was the political support and push that made that happen within Belfast City Council. The campaign was very effective in building up political support, as evidenced by the fact that the committee ultimately opposed it by majority.”

Housing-led development

In a latest development, in April 2023, it was announced that DfC had purchased the Stewart Street land for a housing-led regeneration scheme. “That will unlock the tunnels and encourage active travel, while also addressing

An aerial shot of the Stewart Street site.

housing need, which is prevalent not just in the Market community, but in the city centre as well,” the MDA Director articulates.

While hypothetically, the ground floor units, especially those nearest to the tunnels could be earmarked for commercial use, to complement that project, it is too early to determine how many housing units will be constructed on the Stewart street site. Soon, the MDA will be undertaking that type of engagement with the Market residents, collating their vision for the site.

“In terms of what normally happens, the Department for Communities will defer to the Housing Executive as the housing authority, the Housing Executive will select a housing association to bring forward a housingled scheme on the site,” Deirdre Hargey advises, adding: “We want a level of mixed use on the site to make sure that the development is complementary to the Tunnels Project and that there is good synergy. The designated housing association will bring forward a scheme and it will be down to consultation and engagement as to what the final proposal looks like.”

Discussing the projected configuration of the housing on the site, the Sinn Féin MLA believes that it will be mixed tenure. “Obviously, a portion of the housing will be social and public, but feeding into the sustainability of the community, there is likely to be different types of tenure. The policy of DfC now is to have ‘tenure blind’ accommodation going forward. We still need to address the housing need because we are in a crisis, but it is making sure that it is sustainable, that it fits into its surroundings, and complementary,” she says.

Tunnels Project

Fundamental to housing-led regeneration plans for the Stewart Street site are the tunnels which run underneath East Bridge Street. The MDA’s Tunnels Project, aimed at reopening the tunnels to facilitate active travel access to Lanyon Place and the wider city centre, as well an associated regeneration was successful in securing funding from the Executive Office and Belfast City Council.

“DfC’s focus is on wider connectivity of regeneration priorities,” Deidre Hargey emphasises. “Consider what Belfast City Council is trying to achieve through its strategic framework for the city, Bolder Vision for Belfast, creating an urban Greenway around the city rather than an inner-city ring route. Bolder Vision for Belfast addresses the community severance of inner-city communities, and how they have been disconnected from the city core and vice versa. We need to overcome that severance that is felt within those neighbourhoods through projects such as the Tunnels Project.

“Key to the Tunnels Project is connectivity; beginning to breakdown the severance of the Market community from the city core. One of the tunnels will be a pedestrianised route that will start to connect all of that up.”

‘Homes Now’

Previously, the ‘Homes Now’ campaign, also under the ‘Save the Market’ umbrella, Market residents had successfully campaigned for housingled development on the northern fringe of the Gasworks site – which borders the Market on its south side.

Running from the River Lagan to the Ormeau Avenue end of the Gasworks, the northern fringe site had traditionally been residential, but during a period of

regeneration was acquired by Belfast City Council and held for the construction of inner-city ring road. However, it remained undeveloped, becoming what is known as a ‘shatter zone’.

Replicated across the inner-city of Belfast, these shatter zones are, according to architect, Mark Hackett, “barriers that were imposed by government onto a community to detach them from the centre”.

Since 2004, the MDA began campaigning for the land to be rezoned for housing. Following the financial crash, from 2015 onwards there was enhanced private sector interest in the site as an investment opportunity for capital development. This provoked the Market community to respond with the Homes Now campaign.

“Today, instead of a proposed total of six houses on that site, there will be 94 units and part of the land developed for community use, including for economic development and job creation. While housing is important, it is also about building sustainable communities. All of this was achieved under the Homes Now campaign banner, with We Must Dissent linking up each of these campaigns,” the MDA Director observes.

Vision

Discussing his vision for the future of housing in the Market, Hargey succinctly summarises it in a line:

“Homes for all.” Asked to elaborate, the objective, he asserts, is to ensure that “every child being born and growing up in the Market has adequate space to develop and prosper”.

“It is about ensuring dignity for people while building a sustainable community. Housing is a critical part of that. We must ensure that we deliver homes for all and that the Market is a community that continues to develop and evolve, while retaining the spirit of what makes it unique. We are looking to the future in terms of sustainability, and building a neighbourhood that people want to live in and stay in. We want this collective approach to be replicated across the city to build a fairer and more sustainable society.”

“We were not just opposing development; rather we had a better alternative for both the community and the wider city; a real community regeneration project rather than just commercial speculation.”

Fionntán Hargey, Director, Market Development Association

Skills and resourcing for housing organisations

Experts in the housing sector discuss challenges for housing organisations in Northern Ireland, including recruitment of young people and adapting skills requirements to meet the needs of tenants in a contemporary age.

How has the skills capacity of organisations had to adapt to meet changing tenant demand?

Justin Cartwright: The pandemic worsened the outlook for recruitment and retention. It also emphasised health challenges; we have to look at what home adaptations are required to ensure that people can live in their homes independently.

Karen Gilmore: The pandemic forced us to think about what really mattered around health and social care. We are now at a re-grouping stage; we have a few green shoots coming through where we are partnering with organisations upon which we are reliant for things like maintenance. We have already looked at the skill sets in our

Justin Cartwright, National Director, Chartered Institute of Housing

sector before Covid, and the pandemic probably just accelerated that.

Lawrence Jackson: Before the pandemic, when we had a vacancy, we would get between 30 and 40 applications for the role. If we advertised that job now, we would get 10 applicants if we were lucky. It is not that the job is more complicated, it is that the market is much more competitive, and we are not competing against the organisations we used to for the skills that we need.

Staff are no longer just moving around within the social housing sector; they are moving out of the sector altogether. We now have to approach this problem as though we were any other employer in the market place.

Nuala Murphy: Post-pandemic, the data told us that people are re-thinking how they approach their life and their work. They are being more demanding on what they want to get out of that and one simple demand is around flexibility.

The research also tells us that for women and other groups which are under-represented, the work place was harder to progress in because of systemic inequalities – which exist in any sector – and in any industry. It is not just about a better salary, it is about a better culture. What companies need to get right is their people strategy, their culture, and how people think and feel in the organisation.

It is one thing to recruit new people through graduates and schemes, but if they land in the workplace and the trajectory is not clear, then they leave. It is about the people and culture and understanding what that looks like, committing to progress and focusing on initiatives that you are trying to build for the future.

Ciarán Sheehan: Covid has opened up a huge opportunity for the social housing sector. Board meetings have moved fundamentally online which opens up an international audience and,

subsequently, a much more diverse audience. We can now easily attract people from across the UK and Ireland from other sectors. I do not think everyone quite realises the power we now have to build highly formidable boards.

If you have a recruitment process that is not agile enough to allow someone to lift a mobile phone out of their pocket and apply for a job on a short bus journey home, you will not attract the right people.

How can we convince more young people to consider working in the housing sector?

Justin Cartwright: We need to have more forums for young people to give them the ability to learn and let them have their say. There is a foundation degree due to start in September 2023, and that will be valuable in the future for recruitment because you can do it full-time over two years or part-time over three years. One of the modules is workplace learning, so if you have got existing staff where you think they could do a foundation degree then that is in the pipeline as well.

Karen Gilmore: It took three painful years to get the housing apprenticeship up and running from scratch. I do not

Lawrence Jackson, Group Director Corporate Services, Choice Housing

Karen Gilmore, Executive Director of People and Organisational Development, Clanmil Housing Association

think we do enough for young people and I think the apprenticeship route, with a decent starting salary, can provide a path for young people to come and get a flavour of what it is like to work in the sector.

I think there are good things happening now and it is about what happens next. We can see, demographically, that the age group between 16 and 24 is very under-represented in the housing sector.

Lawrence Jackson: It is partly a generational thing; when we were at school, working in social housing meant working for the Housing Executive. Young people want careers where they can make a difference and that is not sector specific.

We are, frankly, kidding ourselves if we think we will get to a stage where we will have 11-year-olds dreaming of a career in housing; that is not what is going to happen. I think the best we can hope for is for school leavers and teachers to be having a conversation when they are talking to young people about what they want, and for them to at least consider that they could realise their ambitions in housing.

That is a subtly different approach but it is the conversation we are hearing among young people. Young people want to develop their skills and fit in their communities.

Ciarán Sheehan: The next generation of workers do not want long-term careers. No-one goes in aged 17 and wants the same job for 30 years; it just does not work like that anymore.

If you have got a particular aptitude in technology, the challenge for this sector is saying that there is every bit as much an appetite for innovation and technology in social housing as there is

in any other organisation. In fact, there is much less competition so you have a much better chance to flourish and you have a chance to participate in a really engaging project.

Nuala Murphy: Gen Z-aged workers are very much socially driven. They are about social purpose and development of skills and maybe not the longevity of a career. This is where you have the opportunity to present the housing sector as one which is suited to that generation because you have the diversity of the different areas of learning and stretching skills. It is also a sector where there is opportunity for them to be aligning their personal and professional goals.

You can also learn about technology with other sectors of the apprentice schemes they have done, take the good from that and apply it at scale in housing when it comes to recruiting Gen Z and help them thrive in the workplace. If you have your work culture built around diversity and inclusion then that can sell success. In the housing sector, there is a big opportunity for Gen Z recruitment because it offers a socially purposedriven work for the future.

Ciarán Sheehan, Partner, Clarendon Executive

Nuala Murphy, Director, Diversity Mark

Record year for new build social housing

construction sector. Housing associations are also committed to improving skills and offering apprenticeship opportunities on their developments, which will help to ensure we have the ability to build more homes to the highest standards in the coming years.

“The standard of new build is something that the sector can be extremely proud of, and when we look at things such as sustainability, more homes are being built to the highest EPC ratings, which will benefit tenants when it comes to things like heating costs.”

2022/23 was one of the most successful periods for social housing new build in recent years. Housing associations completed 1,449 new houses, and work was commenced on 1,956, exceeding the targets set by the Department for Communities.

The success of the housing associations is even more notable given the context of a challenging time for the construction sector, where materials costs have risen alongside the financial pressures brought on by Covid.

The 20 housing associations in Northern Ireland manage more than 57,000 homes, and directly employ more than 3,300 staff. Seamus Leheny, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, puts this success of the sector down to the determination and passion of the social housing providers: “The challenges faced by housing associations in building new homes are well known, they range from land availability to frustrating planning delays.

But the challenges are not a blockage to our members, which is why we have exceeded targets and maximised the impact of the social housing budget.”

Social housing is funded by the Department for Communities through the Social Housing Development Programme, and housing associations raise private finance to match that funding and ensure that more social housing is delivered each year.

This model helps social housing as a key economic driver, and the support for the construction sector is an important role for associations, as Leheny explains, “Each year, social housing invests more than £360 million on new build, which is a direct benefit for the

Leheny adds: “We are not limiting these standards to new build, and there is ambition to retrofit older properties, with insulation and more efficient heating. There is, however, a significant financial investment to deliver this programme of work, but its benefits are wide ranging. If we are serious about preparing homes for net zero it is something we need action on from local government.”

Fundamentally, the focus of housing associations is on delivering the best homes possible, housing families and reducing the waiting list. One of the concerns the sector has is the potential for reduction in budgets, as Leheny highlights: “We need more homes, particularly social homes. The positive economic and social benefits of social housing are clear. Now is the time to be protecting the investment in social housing, and any cuts would have a devastating impact on social housing, the lives of our tenants and the advancement of a shared settled society in Northern Ireland.”

Seamus Leheny, Chief Executive, NIFHA

T: 028 9023 0446

E: sleheny@nifha.org

W: www.nifha.org

Social housing challenges: A European perspective

The first challenge, Edwards believes, is that of building public understanding of cost rental housing, so as to maximise engagement and interest in what she believes is a “potentially very promising” housing model, with her hope that “the European Regional Development Fund may be used to tackle vacancies”.

In Northern Ireland, the intermediate rents policy aims to reduce rent prices to 20 per cent below market value. In the Republic of Ireland, a similar policy, referred to as cost rental, aims to expand the amount of nonprofit social housing.

The differentiation in nomenclature by different organisations, Edwards outlines, can be a source of confusion for the public. “I think it is a misnomer to use the different terms like social housing, cost rental

housing, general housing, and general interest housing because there is a lot of language interference.

“What could be termed ‘limited-profit cooperative housing’ is actually cost rental; what is termed ‘co-operative housing’ in Switzerland is actually cost rental. All of these models are essentially housing that factors out the profit incentive.”

Explaining cost rental

“In many countries, you have non-profit finance providers who are backing the schemes,” Edwards states. “That could be a public bank, or public revolving funds. In Ireland, we do not have that and there is an urgent need to analyse the scope for nonprofit finance provision in terms of the proportion of subsidies and the proportion of non-profit finance.

General Secretary of Housing Europe, Sorcha Edwards, outlines the top challenges for affordable non-profit housing tenures across Europe and globally.

“There also might be a difference in terms of the long-term obligation to reinvest any limits on the profits that the entities make. In other countries, there would also be strict auditing and regulation around the reinvestment of any profit.

“The most common issues are the cost of finance, the cost of land, and the pressure coming from unregulated private markets. You also have inflation and interest rates which are making it very difficult, as well as the lack of labour and the cost of construction. There is real pressure to innovate and bring down the price of construction. There is the challenge of competition for the land with private players.”

Wider European policy context

Edwards emphasises the importance of ensuring that the green agenda being pursued by the EU takes a holistic approach, being acutely aware of the needs of those on lower and middle incomes.

“The European Green Deal, if it is implemented correctly, can help us tackle energy poverty, and can lead to better housing conditions,” Edwards says. However, she warns that: “If the Green Deal is not implemented correctly, it could lead to undesirable and negative consequences. So it is vital that we get the balance right with all of this.”

A further challenge raised by Edwards is the lifting of the break on EU state aid rules, which was implemented over the Covid-19 pandemic. Amid this backdrop, she states the need for “a recognition of the real amount of public finance that is now needed to tackle the crises in housing and the climate” and that “we have clear political space and fiscal space to make that investment which is badly needed”. She also reiterates that spending in these areas must be characterised as an “investment, not a cost”.

“Green taxonomy and the growing impact of environmental and social governance in the financial sector are very important; we have to make sure that the social impact is in line with the constructive work being done on the ground. We cannot allow the agenda on affordable housing to be set by the private sector.”

Emphasising the three key metrics of affordability, availability and sustainability, Edwards again emphasises the need for a balanced policy approach. “We have to go green, but we have to go green in an inclusive fashion,” she states, adding: “We are constantly bringing

“We cannot allow the agenda on affordable housing to be set by the private sector.”

General Secretary of Housing Europe, Sorcha Edwards

together this benchmarking of systems, looking at what tools countries have to tackle the crisis, and how housing systems are equipped to tackle the type of societal challenges that we have.”

European examples

Edwards summarises the policy approaches taken by the governments of the Netherlands and Portugal. “The Dutch Government has proposed quite a strong intervention in the private rented market. This is now being debated in Dutch courts. They will step in and reduce rents according to a points system linked to the quality of the homes.

“They are also looking at reducing short-term tenancies; something that was introduced in 2016 intended as a way to increase the speed of supply; it did not work out that way. Now, they are looking back to have permanent tenancies.”

In Portugal, meanwhile, Edwards explains how the Portuguese Government is intervening “to stop the golden visa scheme and to increase the pressure to bring vacant homes back into use”.

She concludes by outlining the challenges of ensuring that government policy is consistent with the needs of low and middle income earners, and how Housing Europe is considering these factors in its research. “We are examining the social impact of having a strong limited profit sector because they can push the issue there. It can be issues like circularity, making sure biodiversity does not suffer from retrofitting, looking at how we can combine approaches, and bringing stock back into use.”

Sorcha Edwards is the General Secretary of Housing Europe, the European Federation of social, affordable, and co-operative housing, a role she has held since 2014. The sector manages 25 million homes and delivers over 200,000 new homes and renovations annually.

Energy report

A route to market

In 2016, the closure of the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO), a support scheme designed to boost the generation of renewable energy, coincided with the region’s soaring reputation for renewable generation across the globe.

Far from coincidental, the scheme had served its purpose in incentivising investment in, for the most part, onshore wind turbines. Onshore wind aided Northern Ireland to far exceed targets set for renewable electricity generation in 2020 and is largely responsible for renewable electricity levels reaching over and above 50 per cent by the end of 2022.

However, since 2016, Northern Ireland has shifted from leading to lagging in renewable generation, a fact articulated by the Department for Economy’s Head of Energy Richard Rodgers.

On why the shift has been so dramatic, Rodgers contends that Northern Ireland, as a region, failed to grasp the economic opportunity that presented itself in the form of renewable incentivisation. However, the Deputy Secretary is adamant that the opportunity still exists, so long as the region moves at speed.

In the wake of the NIRO scheme, as the rest of Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland delivered fresh supports, work on revised renewable supports for Northern Ireland were put into stasis as a public inquiry dealt with the fallout out of the failed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.

“RHI stopped a lot of things in their tracks, which is much of the reason as to why we have gone from being a leader in this area to being behind all of our neighbours. Looking forward though, the drive to a totally

decarbonised energy system for this region is now much more focused.”

In March 2023, the Department for the Economy published its second iteration of the annual energy action plans, necessitated by the overarching Path to Net Zero strategy published in December 2021. Included in the 2023 action plan is a pledge to publish the final design of renewable electricity support, along with a pathway and timeline for the support being in place, within the year.

Describing the support scheme as “critical” to putting energy policy to effective use, creating the conditions for investment, and delivering consumer protections, which are lacking today, Rodgers says: “This is so important because everyone can see that the current market is delivering high energy prices, that we, as consumers, are forced to pay.”

Following the publication of the Energy Action Plan 2023, Head of Energy for the Department for the Economy, Deputy Secretary Richard Rodgers, discusses the need for acceleration towards a totally decarbonised energy system.

The final design of the support scheme, along with a timeline for the support being in place, is expected by the end of 2023. It is understood the support will target offshore wind generation, but Rodgers explains that the Department’s vision is for all future renewable generation technologies to potentially fall under the scheme’s remit.

“The launch of the design is going to be a critical path to getting offshore wind by 2030, but it has implications for all other energy, such as geothermal and biomethane. It is a design for electricity, but essentially the same principles apply to all the energy we produce.”

Asked about the potential shape of the scheme, Rodgers says that the principles are similar to that of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme used in the UK, or the RESS scheme in the Republic of Ireland, whereby the aim is to competitively establish a strike price that will be payable over the lifetime of the asset. Although it was originally touted that Northern

“A huge positive is that the Executive approved the overarching energy strategy, which means we have an agreed and accepted vision for where we want to get to: self-sufficiency in affordable and renewable energy. The prize, which is crucially important in today’s global energy market, is that we can become our own price maker, and not a price taker.

“That vision, which underpins the economic opportunity in self-sufficiency, provides us with the opportunity to tackle fuel poverty and boost economic growth. It is a very exciting prospect.”

Importantly, underpinning the Department and wider Government’s vision is legislation in the form of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 and the draft Northern Ireland carbon budgets and recommended annual emissions for each sector, produced by the Climate Change Committee.

Asked about the pace of decarbonisation, in comparison to neighbouring countries, Rodgers

Ireland may be part of the UK’s CfD scheme for offshore, the unique circumstances of the region meant that the decision was not taken forward. Use of CfDs has been trending across Europe because of recognition that they prove costeffective for consumers, while offering long-term price stability that investors require to cover upfront costs.

Rodgers believes that learnings from both the UK’s and the Republic of Ireland’s scheme mean that Northern Ireland has the opportunity to do better for consumers and investors, in the scheme’s design. For example, the absence of indexation in the Republic of Ireland’s RESS has pushed prices up. Similarly, shorter contract lengths in other countries have been recognised as an obstacle, while auction frequency and eligibility criteria are also critical.

Action Plan 2023

The action plan sets out progress made by its predecessor, the 2022 action plan, but also flags a number of 2022 actions which were not achieved, and so have been rolled over.

While many may point to the absence of a functioning government in Northern Ireland, as well as the recently published ‘restrictive’ budget for public services, as cause for delay, Rodgers is quick to point out that the Department’s work is progressing on a solid foundation.

states: “We must move fast because we want to be part of enabling supply chains, not waiting at the back of the queue. That is why our action plans are so important, they are setting out what we are aiming to deliver now.”

Rodgers accepts that the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly could be a barrier to future progress, highlighting the need in the near future for legislation in areas such as offshore wind, or hydrogen, he adds: “That is not stopping us from getting on to be ready for those technologies right now.”

Offshore wind

In January 2023, the Department and the Crown Estate issued a statement of intent on a commitment to establishing offshore wind leasing for Northern Ireland. The statement signalled progress on the Energy Strategy’s ambition to generate 1GW of offshore by 2030. Around the same time as the statement, the Department published its draft Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan.

Rodgers describes the statement as a “sign of real intent”, outlining the focus on what can be done in the absence of political leadership, building on the elements approved by the previous Executive. Interestingly, Rodgers says that the 1GW is an ambition which could soon be enhanced, stressing that it is the enabling

“We must move fast because we want to be part of enabling supply chains, not waiting at the back of the queue. That is why our action plans are so important, they are setting out what we are aiming to deliver now.”

components of creating an offshore wind market, which are most valuable.

“What we need is a route to market for an abundance of offshore wind, which is not just about meeting our own current needs, but also attracting new manufacturing opportunities and producing the sustainable maritime and aviation fuels of the future.”

Heat

On progress made to date under the annual action plans, Rodgers lists the approval of permitted development rights for heat pumps, as early stages of aligning Northern Ireland with the rest of Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland in enabling heat pumps to be in every home in Northern Ireland, if policy assesses this as the most cost effective route to domestic heat decarbonisation.

The Head of Energy explains that the potential benefits expand beyond environmental benefits alone and could be a huge economic opportunity. Highlighting a number of indigenous businesses which are already serving as disruptors in the Great Britain market, Rodgers says: “The benefit of this is not just the expansion of the footprint of a single business, but the 50 or so local companies which are in the supply chain. That is the 10X economy in action.”

Another big advantage of market creation, Rodgers explains, is the enablement of a pathway for skills development. An energy skills audit, proposed in the 2022 action plan, has been delayed. The 2023 action plan says it will commence implementation of a plan, based in the findings of the

audit, from June 2023. Rodgers says that the audit is complete, but not yet published, and outlines that the Department hosted a multi-stakeholder workshop in April to inform a future plan.

The Deputy Secretary believes that a real opportunity exists for tertiary education and indigenous companies to create an eco-system of skills development for a net zero future, much like the software clusters which exist now, and building on Northern Ireland’s historic reputation for quality engineering.

“The real question is: how do we enable these innovative companies?” Rodgers asks. “I think a point which is really worth stressing is that unlike the past, where Belfast was a central hub for manufacturing and engineering, the innovative companies which exist currently are spread across the region. By fostering more organisations like this, we have a real opportunity to drive economic growth on a regional basis.

“We can bring back the manufacturing we lost when we have an abundance of renewable energy, but we cannot have that abundance of renewable energy unless we have a route to market for the investment. That is where technologies like offshore wind, heat pumps and hydrogen provide that pathway. However, in order to make that happen, we need to be giving signals to industry that there is a longterm and sustainable future for these technologies in Northern Ireland.”

Resources

In a time of serious budget constraint, Rodgers believes that the finite resources in public services must be focused in the right areas in order to offer those signals to industry. To this end, he believes a truly joined-up approach across government, with a multi-year commitment is the solution to driving forward on missed targets under the 2022 action plan, such as the launch of domestic and business energy efficiency schemes.

Rodgers says that he is keen that investment in these schemes is a priority for a new Executive, to leverage private investment and create a multiplier effect for local communities, skills development, and the local economy.

“I am confident that if we create the conditions for the innovators in this region, it will not take much to succeed in moving the dial on our decarbonisation journey,” he states.

He concludes: “Going back to our 10X economic vision, we want to be one of the elite small economies in the world. That means increasing GVA, so not just creating jobs, but creating high-value jobs, much like the software cluster has done.

“That work can inform and enable the energy revolution. Our solution must be to focus on our strengths and create the right atmosphere to foster innovation, investment and ultimately, economic growth.”

“That vision, which underpins the economic opportunity in self-sufficiency, provides us with the opportunity to tackle fuel poverty and boost economic growth. It is a very exciting prospect.”

The future of the power grid has arrived. Smart Grid Ireland’s industry and utility network members are responding to the challenges of the energy transition and network modernization. Grid-technology innovations are redefining how the system operates.

Smart Grid Ireland has a track record of working constructuvely to infuluence energy policy and regulation in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.

We provide our members with opportunities for networking and thought leadership in new network related technologies to deliver world-class energy solutions and address climate issues. With offices at the Technology Centre, Queen’s University Belfast and Dublin City West, Smart Grid Ireland partners with both Queen’s and Ulster University, and the Energy Institute, University College Dublin.

For more information contact www.smartgridireland.org

info@smartgridireland.org

Bob Barbour CEO & Secretariat for Smart Grid Ireland bob.barbour@smartgridireland.org

Auction-based scheme most likely for renewable energy support

As the Department for the Economy seeks to deliver on its 2023 energy action plan pledge to have a renewable energy support scheme in place by the end of 2023, a recently closed consultation phase sought to set out how that scheme should take shape.

While the idea of simply transposing the renewable energy support scheme in Britain onto Northern Ireland was deemed not viable by the Department for the Economy, a scoping exercise performed by Cornwall Insight on behalf of the Department prior to the publication of the consultation terms found that “a highly competitive auction process similar to those seen in the Great Britain and Republic of Ireland markets is likely to be the best approach” for larger investors and economies of scale.

However, the report into the scoping round also notes that microgenerators “would require a very different subsidy, with more certainty and less complexity”, meaning that it is incumbent upon DfE to structure a scheme that will “meet the needs of all parties, or [find out] if alternative approaches (such as separate pots or even separate subsidies) are required”.

Central to the consultation and the eventual shape that the scheme will take will be the principles it follows, which form the first

question of the consultation document. Respondents were asked if they agree with the three core principles as outlined by DfE:

1. Incentivise sufficient renewable electricity generation to ensure that at least 80 per cent of electricity consumption is from renewable sources by 2030.

2. Ensure that consumers pay a fair price for electricity produced locally and that prices are more stable.

3. Encourage a wide range of renewable sources to diversify the technology mix to support security of supply.

Auction-based scheme

The second question put to respondents concerned whether a Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme should be the preferred approach to supporting renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland, providing the clearest hint as to the approach most likely to be taken. The main advantage of such an approach, DfE states, is that “depending on

current energy market prices, funds can move bidirectionally to support either renewable electricity generators or consumers”, meaning that funds move from suppliers to generators when wholesale prices are below the strike price and vice versa when the wholesale prices are above the strike price.

The Department states that CfD schemes have “contributed to dramatically reducing the cost per unit of energy”, citing the example of the UK, which has utilised a CfD scheme in its renewable energy supports. The cost of electricity generated by UK offshore wind farms has “reduced from over £100/MWh in the initial auction rounds to around £40/MWh in the latest rounds” under CfD mechanisms. A consultation on the performance of the CfD scheme in Britain published in July 2021 found that the many projects would not have been viable without the CfD support mechanisms, meaning that the scheme has supported the faster rollout of renewable electricity projects while delivering lower costs for consumers. The use of the CfD model allowed the UK Government to unveil its biggest ever round of renewable energy auctions with £285 million per annum in funding for low-carbon technologies, including £200 million for offshore wind per year, in December 2021.

CfD mechanisms can provide protection against market volatility, a concern for investors given that prices in the Single Electricity Market fell to €23/MWh in May 2020, rose to €143/MWh in July 2021, and reached €402/MWh in September 2021 during a period of low wind which coincided with a number of gas plants being offline. CfD structures provide certainty, and benefit consumers in the right market conditions, by locking in a price per unit of energy generated over the course of the contract agreed. Since September 2021, market prices have risen above strike prices and CfD generators in Britain have been paying back to suppliers, reducing the green levy applied to British household electricity bills. Low

Carbon Contracts Company research shows that £275 million was paid back to suppliers from CfD generators over quarter four 2021 and quarter one 2022.

The Department also points to the fact of both Britain and the Republic of Ireland having already established support schemes using broadly similar CfD mechanisms and states that “should a similarly designed auction-based support scheme be launched in Northern Ireland, such familiarity and confidence in the effectiveness of CfD schemes would be expected to encourage investment and draw developers’ interest to the Northern Irish market”. However, Cornwall Insight’s scoping report notes differences between the British and Irish markets, with the Irish Government considering the extension of the lifespan of the subsidy to encourage investor participation, while British consultations have considered shortening the lifespan to benefit consumers. The DfE, the report says, will “need to carefully balance these types of considerations”.

The third question put to respondents in the consultation regarded the fairness of participation in the renewable energy support scheme being made mandatory for all generators. Such an approach would “allow more protection to consumers, as the costs of the schemes would be established when the support is awarded and changes in market prices would less directly impact the costs to consumers” and the more assets deployed under the structure, the more guaranteed protection for consumers. While the British market is currently voluntary for generators, the UK Government “has recently considered moving existing merchant and Renewable Obligation subsidised assets onto CfDs in a response to high market prices and supernormal profits”, with similar approaches seen in both Italy and Germany.

“A consultation on the performance of the CfD scheme in Britain published in July 2021 found that the many projects would not have been viable without the CfD support mechanisms, meaning that the scheme has supported the faster rollout of renewable electricity projects while delivering lower costs for consumers.”

Capacity and microgeneration

Respondents were also asked what the minimum capacity for new sites should be for a project to be eligible for the renewable energy support scheme, and if that minimum capacity should be technology specific. As Northern Ireland aims at an 80 per cent share of electricity generation for renewables by 2030, renewable output will be required to effectively double by then. Small and micro generation has played a “crucial role” in reaching 40 per cent renewable share by 2020, but DfE notes that the 80 per cent target “naturally favours the introduction of a scheme that focuses on encouraging the deployment of large-scale assets over small and micro generators”. The Republic’s RESS requires a minimum capacity of 0.5MW, while Britain’s CfD scheme requires a minimum of 5MW for solar, onshore wind, and remote island wind to be eligible.

The Cornwall Insight report states that small-scale assets contributed to roughly 40 per cent of total solar PV capacity deployed in Britain in 2021, but DfE points to that fact that wind sites accounted for almost 85 per cent of all renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland in September 2022, indicating that “even when microgeneration composed a substantial portion of total solar PV capacity, it only very marginally contributed to

meeting wider renewable electricity targets”. Indeed, the Department’s attitude towards small-scale and microgeneration can perhaps be best seen in the phrasing of its question on the topic: “Do you agree that incentivising small-scale and microgeneration would not make a substantial contribution to reaching the Energy Strategy targets?”

Community benefits

One of the core differences between the models in Britain and the Republic of Ireland is that the Republic’s RESS scheme requires a project to deliver support to its local community at a set level, while the British scheme contains no such provisions. Such supports can take the form of community grants or discounts on electricity network charges that taper off with increasing distance from the supported wind farm. The Danish policy of requiring developers to offer the local community the opportunity to invest in the project is also mentioned by DfE as a successful example.

With the consultation period having closed in April 2023, and contract and payment structures also to be factored in, DfE will now seek to finalise its design of how a support scheme will look in Northern Ireland and reach its target of publication before year-end 2023.

“Small and micro generation has played a ‘crucial role’ in reaching 40 per cent renewable share by 2020, but DfE notes that the 80 per cent target ‘naturally favours the introduction of a scheme that focuses on encouraging the deployment of large-scale assets over small and micro generators’.”

RenewableNI says radical reform of the planning system is needed

As Northern Ireland reflects on the result of the recent council elections, we continue without a sitting Assembly. RenewableNI, the voice of Northern Ireland’s renewable electricity industry, has been continuing to engage with policy makers and developers in the Assembly’s absence, achieving change in difficult circumstances.

RenewableNI’s series of sold-out events has allowed people to hear expert speakers from government departments and those in the industry. The key message coming from these is that while we are finally moving in the right direction, the planning system means we are doing so at a snail’s pace.

Steven Agnew, Director of RenewableNI, says: “We have been working very closely with the Department for the Economy (DfE) as they roll out the actions for the Energy Strategy. We have fed into their consultations on the Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan (OREAP) and Design Considerations for a Renewable Energy Support Scheme.

“DfE have provided speakers for our last few seminars and taken questions from the audience. This engagement has been vital to help drive the industry forward, despite the absence of ministers.

“We welcome recent increased engagement with the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) but it is still very much the first steps. In mid-May 2023, DfI facilitated an engagement session

with the renewables industry and those with the planning system. This was an excellent opportunity to better understand the issues from both sides, but more importantly to see how we can better work together to overcome them.”

Northern Ireland has some of the best wind in the world, but the uncertainty of planning timescales is driving away the potential investment. Solar development here has stalled at a time when there has been a boom in Republic of Ireland.

The Climate Act set a target of 80 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. This will require more than doubling our current capacity of 1.8GW to meet the electrification of heat and transport.

Achieving this target will bring over £5 billion GVA to the local economy, create 2,000 jobs and reduce the cost to consumers. We would also reduce carbon emissions from the electricity sector by 75 per cent from where they are today.

Agnew concludes: “Developers are facing a backlog at every stage of the planning system. Amongst our members, 85MW of renewable electricity, enough to power up to 85,000 homes, has been held up for more than three years and counting.

“At a time when we should be accelerating towards a cleaner energy future, it very much feels like the handbrake is on. Without major changes we have no chance of getting close to 80 per cent this decade. There is a climate emergency. Now we need to see an emergency style response from the relevant departments, business as usual is not an option.”

RenewableNI

W: www.RenewableNI.com

Twitter: @RenewableNI

(L:R): Niamh Collins, A&L Goodbody; Zoe Crowe, Head of Renewable Energy, DfE, and Steven Agnew, RenewableNI Director.

Electricity consumption and generation 2022: Statistical overview

51% of total electricity consumption in Northern Ireland in 2022 was generated from indigenous renewable sources

• This represents an increase of 9.7 percentage points on the previous 12-month period

• Second highest proportion on record, with 51.6% achieved in the 12-month period December 2021 to November 2022

• In the 12-month period ending December, 13.6% of total electricity consumption in Northern Ireland was generated from renewable sources

Of all renewable electricity generated in 2022, 85.3% was generated from wind

• Compares to 82.1% for the previous 12-month period in 2021

Source: NISRA

In December 2022, 42.4% of total electricity consumption in Northern Ireland was generated from indigenous renewable sources.

• lower than the corresponding figure for the previous month (60.2% in November 2022)

• lower than the corresponding figure for the same month one year ago (47.9% in December 2021)

The monthly proportion exceeded 50% in five of the 12 individual months over the period January 2022 to December 2022.

• high in 2022: 76.5% in February 2022 (the highest monthly proportion on record)

• low of 2022: 35.1% in August 2022

In 2022, 7,494 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of total electricity consumed in Northern Ireland

3,825 GWh generated from renewable sources in Northern Ireland second highest rolling 12-month renewable generation volume on record

3,868 GWh renewable generation between December 2021 to November 2022

708 GWh of total electricity was consumed in Northern Ireland in December 2022

300 GWh generated from indigenous renewable sources in the same month

• lower than the corresponding figure for renewable electricity generated in the previous month (398 GWh in November 2022)

• lower than the corresponding figure for the same month one year prior (343 GWh in December 2021)

Source: NISRA

Source: NISRA Source: NISRA

Guiding the energy transition

What is the role of the Consumer Council?

Governments across the world, including our own, are moving forward with commitments to meet ambitious net zero targets by 2050 to avert a climate emergency. The impact of these challenging targets on society and consumers are yet to be fully understood but it is clear the transition to net zero will significantly impact consumers in the coming decades.

The Northern Ireland Executive’s Energy Strategy provides a strong grounding to address this challenge as it places consumer needs at the heart of the energy transition; without understanding consumer needs and addressing them we will not meet Northern Ireland’s carbon reduction ambition.

In the first of a three-part series, Consumer Council Chief Executive, Noyona Chundur, explains how the organisation’s research programme captures consumers’ needs, attitudes, and experiences of the energy transition to inform industry and policymakers and aid the delivery of a sustainable energy future that works for everyone in Northern Ireland.

The Consumer Council is Northern Ireland’s statutory consumer body, working to promote and protect the interests of consumers.The Consumer Council’s contribution to ensuring we meet our goal is to provide detailed evidence that enables policymakers and the energy sector to establish appropriate energy transition pathways while meeting the energy needs of the population sustainably and costeffectively.

Attitudes to energy transition

The energy transition has the potential to disrupt the lives of every citizen and its outcome will define life prospects locally and globally.

Therefore, we will travel this journey with consumers, undertaking annual research to ensure we can provide a contemporaneous picture of their experiences.

In doing so, we will be equipped to provide policymakers and the energy and transport sectors with the insights they need as they act to facilitate the

Noyona Chundur, Consumer Council Chief Executive.

energy transition. Deep understanding of consumers’ needs will be essential to the success of the energy transition because, as our research highlights, significant barriers to individuals’ energy transition remain.

As experts in the field of consumer research, regularly carrying out research and face to face engagement with consumers, the Consumer Council is perfectly placed to undertake this work. In our first annual ‘Attitudes to the Energy Transition’ research study, we represent consumers on one of the most important issues that they will experience in their lifetime. Energy transition will mean significant changes to how people live, eat, travel, and heat their homes, and it is crucial that the consumer insights we capture inform decision making.

The knowledge gap

Our critique of transition planning to date is that emersion in technical plans to tackle the climate challenge has left little space to consider the holistic needs of the consumers who will be asked to implement many of the actions sectoral strategies seek to address.

In that regard, more work is required to aid consumer understanding of the challenge ahead. For example, three in 10 consumers report having no understanding of what the term ‘net zero’ means. Meanwhile, not much more than half of consumers (54 per cent) are aware that the Northern Ireland government is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and three in 10 people are unaware of the planned phase out of combustion engine cars by 2035. Closing this knowledge gap between the energy and transport sectors and the consumer is key to bringing consumers along on the energy transition journey.

More positively, our research finds eight out of 10 consumers support the use of renewable energy to provide electricity, heat and transport, four in 10 are already driving less, and seven out of 10 consumers have started saving energy at home. Consumers understand the importance of energy transition and show a willingness to make change.

Cost fears

Consumers report fears over the cost of the energy transition. Our research indicates over half of the population is likely to update or improve the energy

efficiency of their home, through measures such as insulation, draughtproofing, or new windows. However, of those who said they are unlikely to do this, cost was the main reason. 52 per cent of people said they would like to make improvements to their homes, but simply could not afford to do so. Incentives and grants will play a crucial role in addressing these costrelated concerns and enabling our citizens to make necessary household and lifestyle alterations.

Solutions

Consumers tell us that simple solutions will be the successful solutions and behavioural change should not be demanded without first providing appropriate support, incentives and a safety net.

Over half of consumers support the building of new infrastructure in their local areas to facilitate greater use of renewable energy. However, the research showed that methods such as placing higher taxes on petrol and diesel cars, or bans on burning fossil fuels, would be less welcome.

It is essential that we achieve a just and fair transition by ensuring affordability, security of energy supply and protection for all consumers, particularly our vulnerable citizens and as such, net zero must come about through the development of a sustainable energy future that works for us all.

We believe that achieving net zero emissions from energy is essential for long-term consumer protection. We will continue to play our part, working with partners to support consumers and bring about positive change. We support the Northern Ireland Executive’s Energy Strategy and climate change ambitions for a carbon neutral economy and are committed to working in partnership to deliver it, and the consumer education, support and empowerment needed to help our citizens with this transition.

To read the ‘Attitudes to the Energy Transition’ report visit: www.consumercouncil.org.uk

“Deep understanding of consumers’ needs will be essential to the success of the energy transition.”

Short term gas outlook in Europe

Anouk Honoré, Senior Research Fellow at The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies says that while the European gas market is in a much better position than a year ago, tightness in the market means there is little room for complacency in the time ahead.

European gas (and energy) prices have been on a roller-coaster since 2021. They climbed from very low levels in 2020 to record highs in 2021 and 2022, before declining again from December 2022. In May 2023, they reached their lowest point in almost two years at about €30/MWh (TTF Front-Month on 19 May). Despite this relative lull, the supply and demand balance remains very tight.

For the next 12 to 18 months, indigenous production and pipeline imports are unlikely to be higher than at present. Russian gas flows via Belarus, the Baltics and Finland, and Nord Stream have stopped in 2022; and the only flows left are via Ukraine and Turkish Stream. Other sources of pipeline gas (Norway, north Africa, Azerbaijan) have been relatively stable, but there is limited additional gas to be expected.

TTF Front-Month gas prices from January 2017 to April 2023 (midpoint, Euro/MWh)

Source: data from d’Argus, chart by Honoré A (OIES).

LNG imports have ramped up rapidly last year to make up for the loss of Russian pipeline gas. It is now the single largest source of supply to the region, with some upside potential thanks to new regasification capacity (over 40 bcm expected in northern Europe by end 2023 plus additional capacities around the region in the coming years). The downside is that Europe is now far more exposed to global LNG trends than ever before, although for now, the return of freeport liquefaction capacity (USA) and relatively low Asian demand mean that cargoes are arriving in Europe, in time to help with storage replenishment. Europe finished the winter with relatively high storage levels, and stocks were already at 63 bcm by the end of April 2023. This was over 28 bcm higher year-on-year. As a result, Europe is unlikely to need to repeat the large net injection made in the calendar year 2022. Meeting the target of 90 per cent of the stocks filled by November should not be problematic despite the region receiving far less Russian pipeline gas in Q2 2023 than in Q2 2022, although the speed of stock build remains uncertain. There could be some potential nervousness (and therefore likely higher prices) around September if storage levels are still low by then.

The biggest uncertainty might be on the demand side. Gas consumption in Europe (EU27 + UK) collapsed in 2022 (-13 per cent) on the back of mild temperatures, high gas prices and changes in consumer behaviour. Trends in 2023 remain subdued (-14 per cent in the first four months) helped by unseasonably mild weather across most of Europe and higher availability of renewables (hydro, wind, and solar) in power generation, but the fundamentals in the three main sectors seem to point toward a potential recovery of gas demand in the coming months.

Many industrial sectors were able to reduce their gas demand without reducing their production over the past 18 months, by switching to alternative fuels (especially oil products) and improving operational efficiency (although the chemical sector, the pulp and paper sector and the iron and steel sector were clear exceptions). Since the beginning of 2023, there seems to be a

Monthly gas demand in the EU27 + UK,

slow recovery of gas demand in most sectors, and a continuation of relative low gas prices in 2023 (and continued governmental support), as well as a limited economic downturn, could contribute to higher industrial gas use in the coming months compared to 2022.

In the residential and commercial sectors, mild weather limited the use of gas for heating in 2022 and early 2023. Coupled with high gas prices, warm temperatures also seem to have facilitated an important demand response from small consumers, a usually rather inelastic sector. Continued participation of consumers in demand saving measures will be essential in the coming months, though consumers’ willingness to reduce their energy for heating may erode if cold temperatures hit Europe at the end of 2023.

The biggest unknown is in the electricity generation sector. Lower electricity demand, strong renewables and the progressive return of French nuclear fleet limited the need for gas at the end of 2022, but gas demand could remain high this year due to uncertainties regarding the level of French nuclear generation in 2023 (stress corrosion tests, new cracks, drought in the summer), coal to gas switching, low hydro availability in the summer and a possible electricity demand’ recovery.

The European gas market is a complex puzzle with many moving pieces, and despite lower gas prices since the beginning of 2023, the market is still tight. Even small changes on the supply or on the demand side could trigger a sharp increase in gas prices. Europe is in a much better position than a year ago, but it still cannot be complacent.

“Europe is in a much better position than a year ago, but it still cannot be complacent.”

bcm

Source: charts by Anouke Honoré (OIES) with data from IEA, Eurostat, ENTSOG, Entsoe, GRTgaz, Terega, NCG, Gaspool, THE, SNAM, Enagas, NationalGrid, Gridwatch, Honoré’s assumptions and calculations.

Renewable future: Unlocking economic potential

The fact that change must happen when it comes to how we produce, store, and use energy is absolutely undeniable, not only for us here in Northern Ireland but right across the globe. We need to remove fossil fuels from our energy mix, and it needs to be done both rapidly, and thoughtfully.

The future of energy is utterly intrinsic to people’s quality of life, and the massive rises in energy costs have brought the issue to the fore in people’s minds in a way that it has seldom been seen before.

That is why the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE) is hosting

the first Northern Ireland Energy Summit where we will present our policy document, Pathway to a Renewable Future. This document, which is being produced after a comprehensive stakeholder outreach process will showcase what we believe is a holistic and inclusive transformative change process that equips us for the economy of 2050 rather than simply de-fossilising the present.

After an encouraging start, Northern Ireland seems to have rested on its laurels and is allowing others to steal a march on progress to a net zero future. The absence of the Assembly

undoubtably adds to the complexity of making change happen but should not prevent it happening. The ascent of the Climate Change Act 2022 demonstrated that there is a political willingness to see a transformation in how we power our economy and lifestyles.

The ability to make decisions in a bold, ambitious and pragmatic manner is possible, as demonstrated by the actions of the Assembly during the recent pandemic. This whole systems approach to managing a national crisis is again required to overcome the fragmentation that energy developers and communities see when attempting to effect change.

The Climate Change Act mandates that government departments to act in a connected manner and act as enablers. Energy and decarbonisation cuts across economy, agriculture, environment, and infrastructure impacts everyone. Creating policy in isolation can result in missed opportunities to holistically address a larger scale problem. Joined up policy and departmental cooperation works better. For example, using agricultural waste streams to generate energy allows for rebalancing our economy whilst turning erstwhile

Northern Ireland needs a focus on a holistic and inclusive transformative change process, not just the de-fossiling of the present, if it is to reap the economic benefits, says Martin Doherty, centre manager of the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE).

pollutants into the building blocks of a biobased industry.

The ambition of the 10X strategy for the economy is not supported by our current energy plans. In fact, the goals for wind generation in Great Britain and Ireland, potentially in excess of 100 and 70GW respectively, over the coming decades dwarfs current Northern Ireland policy considerations. We must match our neighbours’ ambitious goals to amplify and leverage our own potential.

In short, our economy will struggle to compete as global markets demand zero-carbon supply chains, and to sustain carbon taxes as they ramp up by the end of the decade; unless we transform our energy supply and decarbonise. How do we achieve the investment required now, when Northern Ireland lacks the billions of pounds needed to invest annually from the public purse? Attracting capital investment is vital. Large, direct subsidies are mostly unaffordable, but strategically creating opportunities for low-risk with good returns, can stimulate investment. The CASE white paper will explore options for novel financing and experimental governance models that will stimulate the necessary debate about what changes we need to take to unlock our potential.

Recent CASE published research opened a new thinking on how we could heat our homes and power businesses with the clever utilisation of our biogenic resources (farm wastes for those outside agriculture).

The potential for biomethane is clear but represents only a small fraction of what can be achieved. Converting the CO2 content of biogas to e-methane with the addition of green hydrogen could give as much as 10 TWh of energy (biomethane + e-methane), more than enough to meet current gas demands.

Storing this green gas in gas caverns during the summer, when demand is low, gives energy resilience for winter months. A further circular economic and clustering approach would see the heat generated from these processes deployed as district heating for homes thus displacing even more of fossil fuel dependency.

Opportunities for such system-based approaches with clusters of businesses have been shown to be common across Northern Ireland and offer routes for local energy supply and decarbonisation as well as new products and services. Additionally, the social value in this

approach is very high with the ability to provide locally generated low-cost heat to homes, schools and hospitals combined secure skilled employment.

A critical component of underpinning the necessary societal change will be increasing the carbon literacy of all. This will empower decision-makers and communities to ensure that energy transformation is equitable and a force for the better. There will be impacts in terms of infrastructure development, but we can ensure that they are weighted by greater community wealth and opportunity with the potential to eradicate fuel poverty.

We can learn from our past. Generations ago, seeding opportunity from renewable energy provided a platform for Northern Ireland to become a global, industrial powerhouse starting with linen production. We can do the

same again. Northern Ireland has the wind, water, solar and biogenic resources to displace fossil fuels.

Achieving carbon neutrality alleviates and reduces the harm on health from fossil fuel pollution and the perilous dependency on uncertain foreign supply of oil and gas. We can once again harness the pioneering innovation and research that lead to our world leading role in textiles to become renewable technology haberdashers to a global marketplace.

This opportunity cannot be wasted, let us ensure we move forward together, with benefits for all.

Contact

“Our economy will struggle to compete as global markets demand zero carbon supply chains, and to sustain carbon taxes as they ramp up by the end of the decade; unless we transform our energy supply and decarbonise.”

Planning for renewable energy

The draft review on strategic planning policy on renewable and low carbon energy will be open for consultations until 30 June 2023.

The review aims to ensure that regional strategic planning policy on renewable and low carbon energy remains fit for purpose and up-to-date to inform decision-making in relation to development proposals for this subject area.

It is also intended to inform the local development plan (LDP) process and enable decision-makers to bring forward appropriate local policies to meet Northern Ireland’s energy needs, under the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy, whilst meeting its obligations under the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

The Department for the Economy acknowledges the “need to improve the process for plan-making and the determination of planning applications, including for renewable and low carbon energy development”.

A consultation is ongoing for a proposal by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) aiming to secure the “orderly and consistent development of land in Northern Ireland under the reformed two-tier planning system”.

Renewable energy context

The draft report contextualises that, since reforms of the planning system and the transfer of planning powers to local government on 1 April 2015 to the end of September 2022, 837 renewable energy planning applications were approved, including:

• 32 wind farms;

• 583 single wind turbines;

• 32 hydroelectric plants;

• 93 applications for solar panels;

• 76 biomass/anaerobic digesters; and

• 21 other (includes landfill gases, waste incineration and heat pumps).

The Northern Ireland Energy Strategy established a renewable electricity consumption target of 70 per cent by 2030, a target which has subsequently increased to 80 per cent by 2030 under the auspices of the Climate Change (Northern Ireland) Act 2022. The Climate Change Act places a duty on Executive departments to ensure that the greenhouse emissions in 2050 is at least 100 per cent lower than the baseline figures from 1990, and to ensure that the net emissions account for carbon dioxide for the year 2050 is at least 100 per cent lower than the baseline for carbon dioxide.

Regional strategic policy

The report has been published shortly after a memorandum of understanding between the Department for the Economy and the Crown Estate which is expected to lead to bidding for offshore renewable energy development, a procedure which has been hampered by several stumbling blocks, including delays to new market and incentive arrangements in 2014, and a statement by the Department for the Economy in 2019 saying that Northern Ireland’s coastline was not suitable for offshore wind development due to likely objections to the visual landscape which would emerge from the expansion of offshore wind infrastructure.

The report states that the Department for the Economy recognises “that there are landscapes across Northern Ireland where their intrinsic value should be protected against inappropriate renewable and low carbon energy development”.

It continues: “A cautious approach for renewable and low carbon energy development proposals will apply within designated landscapes which are of significant value, such as areas of outstanding natural beauty, World 7 Heritage Sites and their wider settings, including the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site.”

The report also calls on visually dominant development proposals to be avoided in such sensitive landscapes as it may be difficult to accommodate developments and their associated infrastructure, without detriment to the region’s cultural and natural heritage assets.

It further states how, for wind farm development, a separation distance of 10 times rotor diameter to occupied property, with a minimum distance not less than 500 metres, will generally apply. This will also apply to any wind turbine development with a rotor diameter of 50 metres or greater.

Noteworthy is that the ETSU-R-97 system remains the UK standard methodology for the assessment of noise from wind energy development. “It, along with A Good Practice Guide to the Application of ETSU-R-97 for the Assessment and Rating of Wind Turbine Noise, prepared by the Institute of Acoustics, should be taken into account by decisionmakers, including any future update to this standard,” the report states.

“Potential noise impacts, including amplitude modulation, from wind turbines on surrounding properties must be carefully considered. Applicants should seek to minimise and mitigate against any potential impacts from wind energy proposals which are likely to result in shadow flicker on nearby properties.”

The review on strategic planning policy on renewable and low carbon energy is currently open for submissions, with the consultations process to run until 30 June 2023. However, implementation of any future policy deriving from the review will not be possible until the reformation of a Northern Ireland Executive.

energy report

Calor: Sustainable energy solutions

such as plant and vegetable waste, BioLPG reduces CO2 emissions by up to 90 per cent*, and is identical in use and performance to conventional LPG meaning that the transition is simple and cost effective with no requirement to change equipment if using LPG powered appliances currently.

Richard Alexander, Sustainable Fuels Lead, Calor says: “Calor and SHV Energy understand that we will need to do more to meet climate targets. SHV Energy is partnering with leading, innovative players to help make sustainable fuel advances possible through its Futuria Sustainability Strategy. Calor Ireland has been to the forefront of enabling off grid consumers to make more environmentally friendly choices by delivering access to our certified renewable gas since 2018. Calor has the experience and the expertise to play a leading role in Northern Ireland’s green energy evolution, with its ambition that all its energy products will be from renewable sources by its centenary year 2037.”

Calor recognises that to realise this goal, innovation, and collaboration are essential and is working closely with employees, customers, suppliers, and partners to continuously identify new solutions and make them available.

Energy security and affordability are at the forefront of people’s minds. There is a growing focus on how to heat homes and businesses, potential renewable solutions and the costs associated with a warm and comfortable environment.

Decarbonising heat is key to achieving net zero. However, it is imperative that consumers have a choice of home energy solutions to meet every budget, infrastructural challenge, and environmental goal.

SHV Energy, Calor’s parent company, has a long history of innovation and commitment to lowering the carbon footprint of the fuel range offered across the organisation’s business units. Over the years, as the environmental impact of carbon and air pollutants has become clearer, they have moved away from coal and oil to offer Liquefied Petroleum Gas

(LPG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG.)

Working with rural consumers located off the natural gas grid, Calor has been providing LPG to homes and businesses for over 80 years, offering significant advantages to many business sectors due to its lower carbon credentials compared to oil and other higher carbon producing fossil fuels. With more and more companies placing sustainability in their long-term strategies, Calor has introduced Futuria, a new and growing portfolio of sustainable energy solutions, and a commitment to grow and develop the pathways to make these available in the future. In tandem with its parent company SHV Energy, Calor is making strides in developing, investing in, and growing the Futuria range.

Since 2018, Calor Ireland has been at the forefront of enabling off grid consumers to make more environmentally friendly choices by delivering access to the first commercially available, certified renewable gas in Ireland, BioLPG. Produced from renewable feedstocks,

SHV Energy has partnered with leading, innovative players to help make these sustainable fuel advances possible. it has a strong global portfolio of R&D projects and partners, working to develop dedicated pathways to purposely produce BioLPG and other sustainable fuels with high yields and from a wide range of feedstock. These active collaboration with leading universities, such as Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Amsterdam, and Aston University.

There is a clear need for alternative renewable energy solutions in off-grid areas, whether for homes and businesses in rural areas, hard to electrify HGVs or industrial processes. To address this the LPG Industry across the globe are transitioning to ‘drop-in’ renewable liquid gases, one of which is dimethyl ether (rDME), a renewable gas produced from municipal waste. rDME is an affordable drop-in fuel that can be safely blended into LPG and BioLPG with no change to existing infrastructure. It is envisioned that the sustainable fuel

Calor has a bold ambition. It is to offer its rurally-based customers 100 per cent renewably and sustainably sourced energy by 2037, its centenary year.

will then be used by the LPG Industry in a variety of applications, benefiting homes and businesses in rural areas in the future.

Recently, SHV Energy announced their commitment to accelerating the development of rDME with a joint investment venture with UGI International, into a company called Dimeta, which will produce the rDME and accelerate its adoption. This, alongside other renewable liquid gases can reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality in an affordable way. Renewable and recycled carbon DME (rDME) is a safe, clean-burning, sustainable fuel that can support decarbonisation of the off-grid energy sector including domestic and commercial heating and cooking, industry and transport.

Dimeta plans to produce 50,000 tonnes per year of rDME in the first UK plant. The production facility is located in Teesside, one of the UK’s leading decarbonising industrial clusters and shall be in operation in 2025.

Calor has the experience and the expertise to play a leading role in Northern Ireland’s energy transition and in collaboration with its stakeholders, contributing towards cleaner air and a safe and stable climate for generations to come.

For more information visit: www.calorgas.ie

“Calor Ireland has been at the forefront of enabling off grid consumers to make more environmentally friendly choices by delivering access to our certified renewable gas since 2018.”

Lessons from the UK offshore wind rollout

History

University

College London Research Fellow, Phil McNally, talks about the lessons to be learnt from the rollout of offshore wind in the UK.

McNally opens by describing the UK as having been a “trailblazer” in the development of offshore wind technology, adding that “although the UK’s share of global offshore wind capacity has fallen, that can be seen as a positive development”.

“Between 2011 and 2020, the UK share of global offshore wind energy production was over 50 per cent for the first three years and it has been declining as a proportion ever since. That is not because the UK has been slowing down but rather that the rest of the world has been increasing and speeding up its production.”

A further development relevant to ensuring the success of renewables, McNally explains, is increasing energy efficiency. “Total UK electricity generation has declined over the last 15 years because we have seen energy efficiency gains across the UK economy.”

McNally also points to the scale of technological advancement as having played a strong contributing

factor in the UK’s relative success in offshore wind production. “In 1990, we produced a 35m-high offshore turbine, which had 0.2MW of production capacity. Now, we are installing turbines exceeding 200m in height which can power 15MW.”

These developments, McNally says, have led to “a dramatic fall in emissions from the UK power sector,” adding that “emissions in the electricity sector have been reduced by 74 per cent in the UK since 1990”.

Action required

McNally outlines the scale of technology deployment required over the coming years to meet the UK’s targets for net zero by 2030.

“In 2019, we had installed 30,000 heat pumps but by 2030, we need to be installing one million heat pumps per year. There was 10GW of offshore wind installed between 2004-2019, the target for the UK Government by 2030 is now 50GW.

Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm, off the coast of Liverpool, has a production capacity of 348MW.

“We somehow have to deploy 38GW of offshore wind in the next eight years. At the same time, we also have to be developing hydrogen from an emerging technology to a fully functioning sector.”

Lessons learned

McNally identifies eight broad lessons to be learned from the UK’s rollout of offshore wind: Long-term political commitment is crucial to drive low-cost deployment and domestic benefits: “Offshore wind has benefitted from consistent political support, which has fostered confidence across industry to invest in Ireland in related research and development, supply chains, and skills. Certainty is crucial to a realistic deployment pathway for other low-carbon technologies.”

Tackling the cost of capital should be a central objective of policy: “The cost of capital is a critical development of the overall project cost. By reducing investor risk, and therefore the cost of capital, a Contract for Difference (CfD) – the British Government’s main mechanism to support largescale renewable projects – can deliver a reduction of between 10 and 21 per cent on overall project costs. This focus on cost of capital has been hugely successful with offshore wind and there is evidence that it has had a strong influence on global deployment. A similar approach should be followed with other early-stage technologies to ensure an affordable transition for consumers both in the UK and globally.”

The need to adapt support to the maturity of the technology: “Offshore wind has benefitted from the right support at the right time, whether that was early-stage development funding, supply-chain investment, or the CfD. If technologies are eligible for a CfD but consistently fail to win a contract, as has happened with wave and geothermal power, government should consider whether this is the right type of support, or whether the technology should be pursued at all.”

Design markets around long-term outcomes: “To date, government has followed an approach of increasingly complex market intervention in an attempt to shoehorn low-carbon technologies into a market designed around fossil-fuel technologies. Now that there is clarity on the type of technology required, government must initiate a comprehensive market reform process to ensure that incentives across the system are aligned to deliver a flexible, net zero, cost effective reform by 2035.”

A healthy pipeline is key for competition and supply-chain development: “By offering a reliable revenue stream and a stable timeline of auctions,

the CfD has created sustained investor interest in the UK renewables market. This has manifested as a strong pipeline of offshore wind projects bidding into each auction, creating intense competition between developers on cost. A strong pipeline also delivers line of sight, making it crucial to the development of a sustainable supply chain, meaning jobs and economic benefits for the UK.”

Partnership between industry and government can deliver sustained development: “Offshore wind has profited from a close relationship between industry and government through partnerships such as the Offshore Wind Industry Council and the Offshore Wind Sector Deal. Such partnerships are crucial in forming dialogue between industry and government, allowing the articulation of a joint vision and a means of tackling barriers to deployment.”

Strategic systems thinking is required for an efficient transition: “To date, each new wind farm in the North Sea has received a point-to-point connection with the onshore electricity grid, disrupting local communities on the British east coast. The British Government is now considering an offshore transmission system to reduce costs and limit the need for onshore infrastructure. The Government must think strategically to ensure an efficient and political feasible transition to net zero.”

A clear strategy is needed for securing domestic benefits: “The Government has failed to capitalise on the domestic economic opportunities of being an early mover. If UK electricity consumers are expected to pay a premium to commercialise nascent technologies, then they should also expect the Government to secure long-term social and economic benefits for the UK. The failure to capitalise on that opportunity with offshore wind is now being rectified through the Offshore Wind Sector Deal and CfD contract terms, but the Government must take care to analyse and capitalise on domestic opportunities from other net zero technologies.”

Phil McNally is a research fellow at University College London focusing on electricity markets. He previously led low-carbon power policy at Energy UK and net-zero research at the Tony Blair Institute. He has sat on several expert government advisory groups, and specialises on the policy and economic reform required to accelerate the transition to as low-carbon energy system.

Geothermal: A pathway to heat decarbonisation

What is more, while Northern Ireland is currently way behind in using geothermal and heat pumps, we can learn from the decades of experience elsewhere in places like Sweden, the Netherlands and the northern United States.

Heating (and cooling) public buildings

The public sector, including schools, hospitals, government and council buildings is the smallest sector in total, but is arguably the most important sector to decarbonise to provide “pioneer” leadership to others.

Of the public facilities in Northern Ireland, it is hospitals and schools that are the largest energy users. All these buildings, of whatever size, are serviceable by heat pumps to replace the current gas and oil fuel use. Hospitals sometimes have higher temperature demands for laundry and sterilisation of equipment, but this smaller load can now be dealt with high temperature industrial heat pumps that are coming on the market.

Northern Ireland has big ambitions for its contribution to meeting the climate change challenge. With respect to the final use of energy, it is heat that is the largest component of energy use (Figure 1) and it is this sector that so far is proving hardest to decarbonise. With no fossil energy supplies in Northern Ireland, decarbonisation has now become an imperative for energy security and energy poverty, as well as sustainability.

Clean, local, always-on geothermal

Northern Ireland’s last volcanoes were active 55 million years ago, so we do not have hot geothermal resources from which we can generate clean electricity. Instead we have a very useful, and currently very underutilised, resource of heat in subsurface from 10m to 2km depth that can be economically and sustainably harnessed.

These rocks and contained brines are relatively low temperature compared to classic geothermal provinces like Iceland, but combined with electric heat pumps, this emission-free heat can be gathered and amplified to serve heating demands up to 150ºC and up to 10+ MWth scale.

Causeway Energies completed a geothermal assessment of one of Northern Ireland’s largest hospitals last year. We found that at all the site’s ~8 MWth of heating could be provided by around four pairs or doublets of ‘open loop’ geothermal abstraction and reinjection boreholes. There are plans afoot for the hospital to start this year on its geothermal journey.

Schools are also ripe for geothermal heat pump solutions, from small primary schools in rural settings to large secondary schools in urban settings. Educational buildings also provide a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to the pupils and their parents the potential and the benefits of low/zero carbon energy solutions including geothermal which even when deployed is often not known about because of its negligible surface footprint.

Eighty per cent of heating in Northern Ireland can be done using heat pumps, with geothermal a key source and store of energy, writes Managing Director of Causeway Energies, Simon Todd.

Simon Todd, Managing Director, Causeway Energies.

The Giant’s Causeway, the product of a 55 million-year-old volcano or the labours of a giant?

Warm homes

It is natural for the owners of fossil gas and oil networks and supply chain to seek opportunities to decarbonise their molecules. But if we consider our problem as an affordable and immediate decarbonisation of heat rather than gas, then electrification of heat using heat pumps becomes the obvious solution. This is even more pertinent for the majority of homes in Northern Ireland that have no connection to the gas grid but are of course connected to electrical power.

Air source heat pumps are often a good solution for homes, but because of the significantly greater efficiencies of their geothermal (or ‘ground source’) sisters, we believe that government and electricity networks should be promoting community heat networks and geothermal, aquathermal (rivers, lakes) and solar thermal sources. The lure of lower capital costs of air source systems compared to geothermal must be balanced with considerations of gross and peak demands of electricity from the regional grid which is already forecasted to be declining in resilience over the next few years.

Green economy

Industry and commerce are the biggest users of heat (and cooling) in Northern Ireland. Although we do not have granular data by manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland, comparison with Ireland where there is such data, indicates more than 40 per cent of thermal energy demand is less than 150ºC. Hence at least 40 per cent of heat use in commerce and industry is within the scope of heat pumps.

Causeway Energies is focused on applying heat pump technology applications on these demands, as well as the other sectors discussed above. As we engage with clients in assessments, we are finding that we can directly substitute for fossil fuels using heat pumps. These solutions are cost competitive with gas and are financially superior if the avoided emissions can be monetised. We are also identifying major opportunities for efficiency and energy demand reduction. For example, we have proposed a design concept to several clients in which surplus heat (particularly in the summer) can be stored underground in the geothermal resource for recovery and use in the winter.

Figure 1: Heat constitutes the biggest use of energy in Northern Ireland

Providing a low/zero carbon energy system, electrical (power) and thermal (heat and cold) to our economy will be critical to attracting foreign investment in Northern Ireland’s economy. While we

have strong suits in the development of future tech in Northern Ireland which we must continue to support, there is so much we can do now, with proven or nearly commercial technology.

Our mission at Causeway Energies is focused on the decarbonisation of larger demand heating (and cooling) in the sectors described in this article. We are building a portfolio of clients in the commercial, industrial, public and heat network sectors in the UK, Ireland and elsewhere. We are also developing leading edge technologies to improve the bandwidth, efficiency and cost effectiveness of geothermal + heat pump applications.

E:contact@causewaygt.com

• W: www.causewaygt.com

Source: DfE

Most heat is used in industrial and commercial facilities and in homes (data from DfE).

Figure 2: Heat by sector

“Providing a low/zero carbon energy system, electrical (power) and thermal (heat and cold) to our economy will be critical to attracting foreign investment in Northern Ireland’s economy.”

Progress in offshore wind infrastructure development

of intent is to outline the ways in which the two organisations will work together to enable leasing for offshore wind in the Northern Ireland marine area, in parallel with work to address relevant regulatory and planning challenges in conjunction with other government departments.”

In the Republic of Ireland, the Irish Government announced the provisional results of its first ever offshore wind auction in May 2023. Over 3GW of capacity were procured from four offshore wind projects which will deliver over 12TWh of renewable electricity per year, with an unexpectedly low weighted price of €86.05 MW/h. This is less than the maximum €150 MW/h allowed for in the auction and it is also less than the average current price of wholesale electricity which is around €120 MW/h.

The announcement, made on 16 January 2023, seeks to build on the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy, which establishes a commitment to diversify the renewable generation mix with a commitment to offshore wind forming a part of the future renewable electricity mix.

The Energy Strategy Action Plan 2022, published on 16 January 2022, included Action 14 to “develop an action plan to deliver 1GW of offshore wind from 2030”. However, the recently published 2023 action plan only included one mention of offshore, simply stating that “work also continues” on delivering offshore wind in Northern Ireland. Previously, the direction of offshore renewable energy policy was driven by the Offshore Renewable Energy Strategic Plan 2012-2020. It identified the potential of up to 900MW of offshore wind and 300MW of tidal energy that could be developed in Northern Ireland’s waters.

In 2011, the UK and Irish governments signed a memorandum of understanding which clarified the marine jurisdiction of both states and the waters around Northern Ireland, which led to the announcement of three leases in October 2012.

However, at the end of 2014, it was announced that a £1 billion plan to build up to 120 wind turbines off the coast of Northern Ireland had been abandoned, with the developer blaming delays to new market and incentive arrangements.

In 2019, a Department for the Economy report stated that Northern Ireland’s coastline was not suitable for offshore wind infrastructure development due to likely objections at how they would appear, meaning that Northern Ireland was excluded from the 2019 leasing round by The Crown Estate.

The Department for the Economy stated: “The purpose of this statement

Peter Russell, Director of Electricity and Security of Supply at DfE said: “Our ambition of delivering 1GW of offshore wind energy is Northern Ireland’s most ambitious energy infrastructure plan, with the potential to supply enough energy to power one million homes. The statement of intent is a major milestone for the Department for the Economy and The Crown Estate towards unlocking the potential of the Northern Ireland seabed and achieving the Energy Strategy vision of selfsufficiency in affordable renewable energy.”

Gus Jaspert, Managing Director of Marine at The Crown Estate said: “We are highly committed to working in partnership to sustainably manage the seabed and the natural environment for its many users, and to unlocking its potential to support the transition to a net zero energy future. This statement of intent marks an important step forwards, laying the groundwork for building the right conditions for offshore wind leasing and realising the potential benefits for the people of Northern Ireland – local economic investment, low-carbon electricity, and a more sustainable and secure long-term energy supply.”

The Department for the Economy (DfE) and The Crown Estate announced a statement of intent to establish offshore wind leasing in Northern Ireland in January 2023.

The north Antrim coast has one of the highest scopes for development of offshore wind infrastructure.

TRADE UNION DESK

Combatting the cheapening of our daily lives

The accurate cliché about tech platforms and their ‘interaction’ with their captive audiences of ‘users’ and advertisers is that ‘if it is free, then you are the product’, writes John O’Farrell of the ICTU.

That relationship has developed and/or degenerated into a new phrase, ‘enshittification’, devised by the US tech writer Cory Doctorow. “First, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves.”

The process for online services is now well established, wrote The Observer’s John Naughton: “Rule one for any online venture is to acquire large numbers of users quickly so that you can harness the power of network effects to keep them inside your walled garden. You do this by offering ‘free’ services (Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram), or lossmaking reduced prices (Amazon). Rule two: Once you have got them locked in, you turn them into a captive market for your real customers – advertisers and vendors. And once you have got them locked in then (rule three) you are in a seller’s market – and have a licence to print money.”

Annoying as all of this is, it is nothing new. The marketisation of services since the early 1980s has added significant costs to the business of running a family or enjoying the fruits of the free market.

This is so engrained into the lives of people living in the UK and Ireland that it is astonishing to find how much was previously provided cheaply or free from the State, and still is in many, more successful, European countries.

Take childcare; for most young families, the costs are so high that many qualified workers, (usually women; surprise, surprise) have to make choices between

paying or stalling their career progression (which has implications for future earnings, pensions etc). The other side is that those caring for children (or older people) are among the worst paid workers around. These slaps from the invisible hand of the free market are not the natural order, but the consequences of active policy choices.

Among the casualties of the austerity drive a decade ago were Gordon Brown’s innovations to reward having kids: “Sure Start centres, free nursery education, childcare tax credits and a child trust fund endowing every new-born. Schools were rebuilt, education maintenance grants helped keep poor children in the sixth form, and wraparound breakfast and tea clubs in many schools made life easier for working parents.”

What remains of those locally are being shuttered by choices being made at the NIO by Chris Heaton-Harris MP with 10 per cent cuts in services for children at the Department of Education.

Or housing; 44,000 households in Northern Ireland are on the waiting list for social housing. For those renting privately in Belfast, average rent hit £845 per month at the end of September 2022. Prior to the pandemic, in September 2019, the figure was £700. That is a rise of 21 per cent.

In contrast, the Austrian capital Vienna has a successful programme of social homes and a regulated private sector which provides high quality social housing for most ordinary working families. In addition, they have access to cheap and efficient public transport, quality subsidised childcare and the city regularly tops indexes of quality of life for city living.

Take transport, take water quality, take leisure services provided by local government, take the value of a university degree, take the feeling of security people being protected from dark streets, from internet predators, from precarious working conditions, and other obstacles to The Good Life, and the process of ‘enshittification’ is not new, but a continuation by various means of cheapening and coarsening our daily lives. But there is another way of looking at this.

We need a discussion on the ‘social wage’. A recent ICTU report concentrated on the Republic, but its ideas can be easily translated across the border. “The social wage is a measure of how much better off individuals are from social spending by government on welfare supports and services… Using international comparative survey data, the report looks across welfare spending such as housing and childcare. It demonstrates the social wage for workers in Ireland is exceptionally low by EU standards.”

The run of strikes we are having in every sector, including some unions voting for their first ever picket line, is the culmination of this process. Debt problems are not the solution for individuals and families to deal with their wages and work being degraded and devalued. Collective action gets results, from unions working together and from governments and social partners doing what is done successfully in EU states. We can even coin the phrase ‘deshittification’ if that helps.

Ministerial directions: A democratic deficit

Ministerial directions allow the minister of a department to set orders to civil servants without a vote in the Assembly. In the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the Assembly could not meet in person, ministerial directions were utilised to bypass the need for the Assembly to meet and vote in person.

Although the majority of ministerial directions between 2020 and 2022 relate to Covid-19, ministerial directions have also been issued for non-Covid purposes at a rate much higher than England, Scotland, and Wales.

Ministerial directions are scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee, which can make minor changes to the direction, but cannot reverse it wholesale. The only way a ministerial direction can be stopped is if it is not approved by either the First Minister, deputy First Minister, or the Minister for Finance. Fourteen ministerial directions have been issued since the resignation of Paul Givan MLA as First Minister on 4 February 2022.

If a ministerial direction proceeds without approval from one of the aforementioned, any expenditure associated with it would be deemed as irregular expenditure and reported in its financial accounts.

Northern Ireland: An outlier

A report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office outlines how, since 1998, a total of 105 ministerial directions have been issued in Northern Ireland, 69 of which were issued since 1 April 2020. The primary reason behind the significant, according increase since April 2020 was the spending proposals developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in the same period there has also been an increase in the frequency of non-Covid-19-related directions, including a number arising due to the absence of an agreed budget for the 2022/23 financial year.

Furthermore, although the report rationalises the Covid pandemic as being a key driver of the higher use of ministerial directions in Northern Ireland, there were still 36 issued in Northern Ireland pre-Covid, compared to five in Scotland, one in Wales, and 56 in England.

For context, since 1998, the Welsh Government has issued one ministerial direction and the Scottish Government has issued five. In the same period, a total of 82 ministerial directions were

issued in Westminster. Of these, 15 related to Covid-19 spending proposals and five related to the UK’s exit from the EU. Therefore, the use of ministerial directions in Northern Ireland has been significantly more prevalent than in any other part of the UK.

Since the collapse of the Executive on 3 February 2022, ministerial directions were continued in widespread use until the formal collapse of the Assembly in October 2022.

Of the 69 ministerial directions issued up to 31 March 2022, seven were issued after the collapse of the Executive, meaning that these ministerial directions did not face any formal scrutiny, since the Public Accounts Committee was not functional. agendaNi understands that these ministerial directions will face scrutiny from the Public Accounts Committee upon the reformation of an Executive.

In addition, a further seven ministerial directions were issued between 1 April 2022 and 28 October 2022. In the absence of a sitting Assembly, the most recent 14 ministerial directions have yet to be scrutinised by a PAC.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, 69 ministerial directions have been issued in Northern Ireland, more than have been issued in England, Scotland, and Wales combined.

Eight of the 14 most recent ministerial directions not yet scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee included affordability as a reason for seeking them. This was in a period where there was no Executive, no formal budget approval for 2022/23, no monitoring rounds, and no means of seeking additional in-year funding.

Following Givan’s resignation as First Minister, 14 ministerial directions were issued by Executive departments, only one of which pertained to Covid; a £1.3 million funding increase for the Covid-19 Recovery Employment and Skills Initiative, issued by the Department for Communities.

Other directions issued by departments include £2 million for the pig support scheme, issued by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, £1.7 million for the establishment of a child funeral fund, and £3 million in funding to Derry City and Strabane Council to fund the City of Derry Airport, issued by the Department for Infrastructure.

Four of the 14 ministerial directions issued since Givan’s resignation were not approved, including two for a proposed level of funding in the region of £361 million for the Department of Health, with the Accounting Officer raising concerns of affordability.

Report recommendations

The Northern Ireland Audit Office makes three recommendations to increase the scope for scrutiny of ministerial directions:

Recommendation 1: Given the importance of MPMNI as a key administrative document for senior civil servants, the Department of Finance should publish an updated version as a matter of urgency, ensure that it remains up-to-date and review it on an annual basis.

Recommendation 2: The Department of Finance should remind all departments of their responsibility to notify the C&AG of any ministerial directions within the fourweek timeframe and to include all relevant supporting documentation with the notification.

Recommendation 3: The Treasury Officer of Accounts should consult with the Permanent Secretaries Group to determine why the use of ministerial directions in Northern Ireland is significantly more prevalent when compared to other UK regions.

Summary of ministerial directions issued by region

Political Platform

Outline your background/career to date

I was born and raised in Andersonstown, west Belfast, where I continue to live. I am the second youngest child of seven, having three brothers and three sisters. I have been heavily involved in sport and, in particular, GAA throughout my life, having played all sports for both my local GAA club and County Antrim. I was educated at Coláiste Feirste on the Falls Road. I left school immediately after my A-levels, to pursue a career in elite sport. I worked in the Northern Ireland Civil Service in several departments for around eight years while also being an elite athlete at the Sport Institute of Northern Ireland programme based in the Jordanstown Campus in Ulster University, and travelling back and forth to the US to compete in International competitions and their professional tour. I have been involved in all codes of the GAA but my particular passion is GAA handball. I have won many titles in the sport, however, winning the World Championships in 2012 and retaining it in 2015 are among my proudest achievements.

What inspired you to get into politics?

Aisling Reilly MLA

After being re-elected in 2022, Sinn Féin’s Aisling Reilly MLA made history during her first speech back in Stormont when she became the first MLA to address the Assembly chamber in the Irish language. The west Belfast representative and talented sportswoman tells agendaNi about her passion, inspiration, and plans for the future.

I have been a Sinn Féin supporter for as long as I can remember and a party member for a few years. I began working with the party in 2020 and from there I worked with a lot of our representatives before going forward in the Assembly elections in 2022.

I have always been interested in politics locally and kept an eye on what was happening. I am a local woman, involved in my community, and I feel I can help support people and make our community and wider society a place where people are safe and proud of. When the opportunity came around to go forward as a candidate I thought, ‘why not?’

Credit: Sinn Féin

Who do you admire in politics or public life?

Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams were always inspirational political figures when I was growing up. I admired their work, alongside others, to bring about peace. Their willingness to work and listen to others is what has allowed me, as a young woman, to move into politics. I respect anybody who puts themselves forward to stand as an elected representative.

What drew you to Sinn

Féin?

Sinn Féin has been the only active party, not just in my local area, but throughout the North and Ireland which, in my opinion, works tirelessly to make our communities better.

All local representatives are local people, my neighbours, easily accessible, and know the issues that people are facing on a daily basis. I see the work that the party has done, not just today but over the past 25 years, and the plan that we have for the next 25 years and beyond.

What are your key priorities for your constituency/what are the key issues facing your constituency?

The main priorities in my constituency, at this point in time, is the need to build more social and affordable homes, which Sinn Féin is committed to doing. We currently have thousands of people in housing stress and I support a lot of people through my office in that regard. We also have challenges with health waiting lists, day-to-day issues such as traffic calming, safer roads, making our community safer, and ensuring that we are working around the clock to be the voice of the people who elected us.

What are your interests outside work?

I like to keep fairly active outside of work. I enjoy sport and still play a small bit of handball when I can. I also enjoy going to the gym and walking. I have a springer spaniel dog and she loves the mountains. I also enjoy spending time with family, friends, and catching up.

I am a local woman, involved in my community, and I feel I can help support people and make our community and wider society a place where people are safe and proud of.

Aisling Reilly MLA making history as the first MLA to make a full speech to the Assembly in Irish.

Imagining a new social security system in a new Ireland

A constitutional reunification process provides an opportunity to build a new welfare state system from the ground up, prioritising the social, economic, and cultural rights of contemporary society, with the principles of dignity and respect underpinning its administration, argues Ulster University’s lecturer in law, Ciara Fitzpatrick.

It is a time of political and social flux in Northern Ireland society. Post-Brexit discourse has intensified the impetus for academics and civil society researchers to interrogate the policy implications for public services in the context of conversations around constitutional change.

The Department for Communities (Northern Ireland), and the Department of Social Protection (Republic of Ireland) are the biggest cogs in the governmental wheel, employing roughly 9,000 and 6,000 people respectively, with responsibility for administering a range of working-age benefits, pensions, employment schemes and a wide-range of other services. Yet, this is a policy area which has not received extensive attention in the increasing discord on the future of the island.

It is critical that debate on the future of the social security system is informed by reliable, peer reviewed evidence produced by experts in the area, which has led to setting up of the All-Island Social Security Network (AISSN). The new network seeks to bring together researchers north and south, who are working in the area of social security to imagine a new future for social security on the island of Ireland.

Social security in Northern Ireland

The British Social Security System, with which Northern Ireland largely maintains parity – and the social security system in the Republic of Ireland have more in common than which divides them, as both systems mirrored the development

of the British welfare state following partition. Yet, in the last 10 years, we have witnessed increasing divergence in the generosity of both systems, particularly for those of working age, and in respect of the levels of ‘conditionality’ applied to claimants. Welfare conditionality determines the level of work-related activity that recipients must evidence before receiving unemployment benefit.

Current benefit levels in Northern Ireland are at an ‘all-time low’. When a centralised system of social security was introduced in Great Britain in 1948, unemployment benefit was equivalent to 20 per cent of average weekly earnings; today’s equivalent (universal credit standard allowance) has fallen to 12.5 per cent.

The most recent uprating in April 2023 means that working age social protection is being maintained at the greatly diminished level of adequacy it had reached by the late 2010s. Those at pension age have been protected to a greater extent, due to the Conservatives’ commitment to maintaining the ‘triple lock’ which denotes that pensions will rise by the highest of three measures –inflation, wage growth, or 2.5 per cent. Low benefit levels are combined with measures that are designed to target the reproductive rights of low-income families, such as the two-child limit, which affects over 6,000 households on Universal Credit (UC) in Northern Ireland and has significantly increased child poverty and a family’s capacity to afford essentials.

Social security in a ‘new’ Ireland

In our paper (2021) for the ARINS project, Charles O’Sullivan and I assert that a constitutional reunification process provides an opportunity to build a new welfare state system from the ground up, prioritising the social, economic, and cultural rights of contemporary society, with the principles of dignity and respect underpinning its administration. The complexity of coordinating the administration of both systems cannot be underestimated – particularly as the administration of tax and benefits in Northern Ireland remains split across the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland and HMRC in England.

We also consider the current coordination efforts on matters of social security contained in the Common Travel Area, and while we recognise what works well, and indeed what does not, we also acknowledge the considerable gap between co-ordination of two distinct systems and the formation of a whole island approach in the case of reunification. This will necessitate difficult conversations on the shape of a new system.

In respect of pensions, it is important to note the existing agreement between the British and Irish governments (Convention on Social Security 2019) in which Britain agrees to honour historic national insurance records of northern workers and existing pension entitlements of those retiring in the South. As Mike Tomlinson (QUB) underlines, this is ultimately a political matter, but for planning purposes the assumption should be that the law is honoured.

Ultimately, to answer all the crucial and difficult questions posed by creating a unified social security system will require going back to basics and revisiting normative questions such as ‘what is social security?’. If we do not get that right, and if we underestimate the value of comprehensive social protection in the creation of economic prosperity then the utopian vision of a new Ireland could be greatly compromised.

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