Latest Updates

A consultation on reforming Northern Ireland’s hopelessly outdated gambling laws has just closed.

It’s not very often that the public is at the forefront of dealing with serious crime. But, when it comes to slavery, we should all be vigilant.

The latest annual poverty report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows the importance of affordable housing.

In most respects our health is better than our ancestors and we can thank technology for that. But in one important health indicator, loneliness, it is not.  

Climate change is not just the greatest threat we collectively face. It is an existential threat. Combating it is a task for all of us: every government, every organisation, and every individual.  

The Assembly has declared a climate emergency. There is no one way to fix this global issue – but it is great to see us take a seat at the table to take on this existential problem.

County Down man James McConville is an architect based in Sweden. He saw the rise of Greta Thunberg first hand and was inspired to make a difference himself back home.

A comprehensive study on the effects of academic selection in Northern Ireland is needed. A new report from Stranmillis University College's Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement shows why.

The Northern Ireland government is divided into nine departments, each with clear responsibilities, separate budgets and ministerial leadership.

If we save our health service, one key strut will be more personal responsibility for individuals. The latest annual Health Survey shows why encouraging healthier lifestyles can be tricky.

If the revived Executive and Assembly is to be a success how it works will be just as important as what it does.

The Assembly’s return is a big deal and surely better than the past three years. However, the list of issues MLAs face is enormous. Scope looks at human rights in NI.

Sure Start is two decades old but still going strong. Scope takes a look at a long-running programme that has managed to stay fresh.

Scope examines the suicide crisis in Northern Ireland and looks at causes and solutions.

We are often told that the UK is a powerful western economy. But that is profoundly misleading. 

It wasn’t just election week, it was Brexit election week. Or was it? And what about the Stormont talks? Voters are more subtle than politicians and we stand at a policy crossroads. Without fixes there could be enormous public anger.

Now that the General Election is over we can only hope that Boris Johnson’s new government is better than the last one. But at least there will be one, which is more than can be said for Northern Ireland.

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed at tasks they take on. We should all know more about it, and its effects.

The troubled history of the Northern Irish state is full of “if only” moments.

Food banks, Universal Credit and holiday hunger are different issues,  but all are interlinked. That relationship comes into sharper focus at this time of year.