Latest Updates

Reform is possible in NI, even without a government. Officials last week published a paper seeking to understand what is meant by “quality of life” – with the ultimate aim of improving the lot of adults and children with disabilities.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Northern Ireland’s first cancer charity. Scope looks back and examines the future of cancer treatments and asks if there will ever be a cure.

People love the NHS and attempts at reform are often met with public resistance. However, its adaptability has been one of its greatest strengths. The response to the hyponatraemia inquiry highlights this.

This week the great and the good gathered at Davos for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting.

An Audit Office report has highlighted huge Welfare Reform underspend. Several NI organisations say bigger problems are coming. With no Assembly, we are rudderless – but Stormont struggled to deal with this first time round.

The European Social Fund represents a small amount of EU money – but supports a huge proportion of the schemes in its sector. Westminster’s delay on developing a replacement is worrying.

Health was a key issue in the Brexit referendum. Leavers promised us £350 million per week for the NHS, money it said we were currently paying to the EU.   

Experts from Northern Ireland have helped write a landmark paper which could help to build a more peaceful world.

Partnership doesn’t have to mean joint projects – it can just be about regularly sharing ideas. The response of several youth groups brought together by the Urban Villages Initiative shows the value of strategic co-operation.

Last year was a terrible one for those of us who care about the environment. There were apocalyptic reports about climate change, extreme weather conditions and species extermination.

If we continue to chase some short-term economic growth at the expense of inclusive growth we not only make things harder for the majority of people, we are creating growth that will not be sustained.

Northern Ireland has high levels of mental ill health, self-harm and suicide. Attributing this to “inter-generational trauma” has become a mantra amongst commentators.

Traveller examination results are not where they should be. This is not an insoluble problem, good work is being done, but we would do well to listen more to the views of the Traveller community.

The Human Rights Commission published its Annual Statement this week. We have plenty of problems, too few solutions, and the problems stemming from our lack of a government only ever grow in number.

Beleaguered Prime Minister Theresa has taken time off from her Brexit travails to intervene in the growing controversy over charities being forced to sign gagging clauses in public contracts.

The Charity Commission says Victoria Housing Estates Ltd, under the stewardship of Co Down solicitor Derek Tughan, lost £12m in questionable loans and suffered a £21m underspend on its properties.

This week saw the start of a series of meetings which will have even more profound consequences for all of us than Brexit.

What if we stopped rewarding people in civil society for following the rules and celebrated those who break them instead?

Another Christmas, another busy month for foodbanks. For most people, they are an abstract concept – that’s because most people never have to use them.

Earlier this week an important experiment in the exercise of democracy took place in Northern Ireland.