Weekly Bulletin. What you need to know this week…

Starmer urged to drop red lines in EU negotiations 
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been urged to seek closer alignment with the EU to mitigate the impact of Brexit. It comes amid reports that the UK may accept a form of regulatory alignment on of rules on food and agricultural products as part of a revised sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. According to the News Letter, “any such deal would ease the internal UK trade friction caused by the Irish Sea border”, where many of the checks are SPS related. Alliance deputy leader Eóin Tennyson MLA has said written to the PM urging him to conclude a food and agricultural agreement “as quickly as possible”, but has also urged him to “drop self-defeating red lines” previously set by the Labour government, including re-entering the EU Single Market and Customs Union. SDLP leader Claire Hanna welcomed reports of a potential deal, describing it as a “common-sense solution that would be warmly welcomed by businesses on both sides of the Irish Sea”.
What Next: There is speculation that a deal could be completed before the upcoming EU-UK summit in London on 19 May 2025. 

ESRI report shows widening gap between living standards in NI and Republic
A new report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin has found “widening gaps in all commonly used measures of living standards” between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The data shows that household disposable income is 18.3% higher in the Republic than in NI, and hourly wages are 36% higher. The Republic also has significantly higher economic growth per capita (26.7% to 14.8%), even after adjusting for distortions linked to multinationals. The report however shows that on a per capita basis people in NI pay significantly lower personal income tax, which amounts to €2,980, compared with €6,725 in the Republic. Researches also examined measures of education, healthcare, and wellbeing, where the Republic is also performing better. Only 71% of 15–19 year olds in NI are in education versus 94% in Ireland. While healthcare waiting lists were similar for those waiting between zero and six months for treatment, 86 per 1,000 people in NI on waiting lists for 18+ months, compared to 12 per 1,000 in Ireland.
What Next: Speaking to PA about the report, Ulster University senior economist Dr Esmond Bernie said that “there are aspects of RoI’s economic development model which are very vulnerable” given the current uncertainties in the world economy. And while it “has a huge per person trade surplus with the US”, Northern Ireland has “much more success attracting in the US service sector (tariffs apply to goods) rather than manufacturing companies”. “NI is therefore”, he argues, “less vulnerable to a US tariff and trade war”.

National Trust pauses engagement with council over Mournes gondola project
The National Trust has confirmed it is “pausing” its engagement with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council over the Mourne Gateway Project. The £50 million project is understood to include a visitor centre at the Thomas Quarry site in the Mournes with a “gondola experience” to transport visitors up and down Slieve Donard, NI’s highest mountain. In February, the Council signed a memorandum of understand with the National Trust outlining how the two organisations were to engage in relation to the project. However, on Tuesday (15 April) the National Trust told the Belfast Telegraph they are “pausing” this engagement until the Council conducts “robust and comprehensive environmental assessments”. Alliance MLA for South Down Andrew McMurray said: “Given the significant economic and environmental issues associated with the project, this action being taken by the National Trust is welcome to see.” He said local residents had expressed “deep concern and frustration”. Last year, over 6,500 people signed a petition which was presented to then-Economy Minister Conor Murphy.
What Next: Mr McMurray and local Alliance councilor Jill Truesdale have called for a full reconsideration of the project’s viability. Mr McMurray has also said he plans to submit a question to Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald asking for her assessment of the situation

Stakeholder Watch

Órfhlaith Begley MP (Sinn Féín, West Tyrone): “The latest ESRI report illustrates the need for Irish unity. It highlights how partition has failed workers, families, businesses and communities and underlines the need to build a new Ireland. Economic productivity and growth can only be maximised through national reunification.”

Jonathan Buckley MLA (DUP, Upper Bann): “This morning I have written to the Prime Minister urging him to consider the nomination of Rory McIlroy for a knighthood in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to sport.”

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir MLA: “Pleased to launch the 27th annual NI Environment Benchmarking Survey with @bitcniD! It’s crucial that everyone plays their part in creating a net zero, nature positive future. I would encourage all businesses to take the surveybefore 26th June.”

UUP: “Ulster Unionists @RobbieButlerMLA & @RobinSwann_MP have written a joint letter to DAERA Minister Andrew Muir MLA and DEFRA Secretary of State Steve Reed MP raising their concerns about the lack of animal disease controls for Northern Ireland.”

SDLP: “We were at the DPAC rally in Belfast today, standing against the UK Government’s planned welfare cuts. Both the Executive and Westminster are presiding over people getting poorer and sicker. The SDLP will fight these cuts in Westminster and at Stormont.”

Timothy Gaston MLA (TUV, North Antrim): “Today’s judgement has delivered a good dose of reality. Well done to @ForWomenScot for standing up for women all over the UK and to @ni_wrn for the excellent work they do in Northern Ireland. No longer will they be sidelined when consulting on Government policy.”

Gerry Carroll MLA (PBP, West Belfast): “New QUB research shows that Derry and Belfast have much higher levels of deprivation than any other part of the UK. Deprivation isn’t just about poverty – it includes health, education and employment outcomes. Deprivation ruins lives and livelihoods.”

Other stories

Blueprint to eradicate Bovine TB in published
On Tuesday (15 April), Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir MLA published the TB Partnership Steering Group (TBPSG) ‘Blueprint for Bovine TB Eradication in Northern Ireland (NI)’. Minister Muir said the blueprint provides a “clear and decisive way forward” that will set NI on a pathway to eradicated the disease. However, UUP chair of the Assembly AERA committee, Robbie Butler MLA, said it was unacceptable that DAERA’s blueprint lacks targeted meaningful wildlife intervention while compensation is projected to exceed £60 million this year alone. He said: “Farmers are carrying the emotional, financial and practical burden of a broken system.”

Economy Minister launches consultation on the future of credit unions
On Thursday (17 April), Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA launched a public consultation on legislation to modernise and strengthen the credit union sector. The consultation seeks views on a number of policy proposals co-designed by the Irish League of Credit Unions and the Ulster Federation of Credit Unions alongside the Department for the Economy. Dr Archibald said credit unions are “integral” to promoting financial inclusion and creating a regionally balanced economy. The consultation closes on Thursday 10 July 2025 and can be accessed here.

Education Minister launches consultation on learners participating in education or training until age 18
On Monday (14 April) Education Minister Paul Givan MLA launched a public consultation on a proposal that would require all learners to participate in education, apprenticeship or training until age 18. Minister Givan clarified that the proposal would not raise the compulsory age of school, which remains at 16. However, he said “it is in the young person’s own interests to continue in their education or training after the age of 16,” adding: “I want to create a minimum offer for all young people, particularly those who are most vulnerable and ensure that they have equity of opportunity and a structured pathway of support and guidance.” The consultation closes on 4 July 2025 and can be accessed here.

Labour market report shows earnings and economic inactive rate up 
On Tuesday (15 April), the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) published its monthly labour market report. The report shows that NI employees had a median monthly pay of £2,359 in March 2025, an 8.8% increase over the last year. The report also shows slight decreases over the last year in both the unemployment rate (by 0.7pps to 1.5%) and the employment rate (by 1.4pps to 71.3%), meaning the economic inactivity rate (people of working age who are neither employed nor seeking work) has increased by 1.9pps to 27.5%. The report also state that the latest annual total of proposed and confirmed redundancies considerably lower than previous year.

Report on social attitudes in NI finds 9 in 10 have no confidence in political parties
A new study has found that 9 in 10 people in NI have no confidence in political parties or government regardless of their background or religion, the Irish News reports. The report, produced by King’s College London and the Social Change Initiative, uses the World Values Survey, an international barometer of values and attitudes. While levels of dissatisfaction with politics were high, trust in other civil society organisations like universities, NGOs, women’s groups, trade unions and churches were relatively high. The report also highlighted that there is “limited evidence of widespread political polarisation”, defined as (strong negative feelings about the ‘opposing’ party or political group), with the authors stating that “NI is not as polarised or divided a society as is often portrayed.”

Infrastructure delays are causing NI to fall behind on renewable energy
On Wednesday (16 April), Shane Corcoran, a policy analyst at RenewableNI, wrote a piece for Pivotal Public Policy Forum on the impact of infrastructure delays on Northern Ireland’s renewable targets. Noting that the share of NI’s energy supplied by renewables fell from 51% in 2022 to 43.5% in 2024, he stated that this indicated Northern Ireland is “falling behind” on its target of 80% of electricity being from renewable sources by 2030 (“80 by 30”). He says that major projects like the North-South Interconnector are “stuck in limbo”. He also identified a policy gap: the absence of a Long Duration Energy Storage strategy, which would ensure that solar and wind energy are not wasted. Mr Corcoran posed three solutions: the acceleration of grid projects; delivery of a storage strategy; and enforcement of accountability, particularly by the Grid Development Monitoring Group.

North South Ministerial Council meet to discuss business development and tourism
On Wednesday (16 April), the twenty fourth North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Trade and Business Development meeting was held in the NSMC Joint Secretariat Offices in Armagh. Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA chaired the meeting, with Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA and Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Minister Peter Burke TD also in attendance. During the meeting, the the ministers heard that InterTradeIreland had achieved a Business Development Value of £115m (€132m) in 2024 which was “well in excess of its target”. Approving the InterTradeIreland 2025 Business Plan, the NSMC also heard a presentation from those who have benefited from the Women’s Entrepreneurship pilot programmes, as well as a presentation by Everoze on Offshore Wind and Hydrogen Opportunities on the island of Ireland. The twentieth NSMC Tourism meeting was also held on Wednesday, and was attended again by Ministers Archibald, Lyons and Burke, during which ministers received the m a report on an update of Tourism Ireland, particularly its marketing and promotion campaigns. The NSMC also approved Tourism Ireland’s 2025 Business Plan.

Across the border

Fine Gael support at 30-year low, according to opinion poll
The first Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll since November’s general election shows that Sinn Féin have regained their position as most popular party in the Republic. Their support is up 6 points to 26%, ahead of Fianna Fáil in second at 22% (up 1). However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD has a high personally approval rating (45%), relative to Tánaiste Simon Harris (42%) and Leader of the Opposition Mary Lou McDonald TD (37%) Meanwhile, Fine Gael are down by 3 points to 16%, their lowest level of support in an Irish Times poll since 1994. Furthermore, only 28% of voters said they were satisfied that the two main parties of Government had formed a coalition with the Regional Independents Group, while 54% said they would have preferred a different party or group. Asked specifically about Michael Lowry TD, just 15% of voters said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were right to make an agreement with the Independent TD, while 64% said they were wrong

Government publishes Climate Action Plan 2025
On Tuesday (15 April), the Government approved the Climate Action Plan 2025, the third statutory update of the plan since the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. The Climate Action Plan 2025 builds on the previous year’s plan, adding that in 2024, the “greatest reduction are being seen in energy”, with the rise of wind and solar energy. The Climate Action Plan 2025 will help inform the second carbon budget for the period 2026-2030. The plan covers areas such as, Just Transition, citizen engagement, public sector, investment, electricity, buildings and industry. The plan was heavily criticised, with Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly calling it a “pathway to certain climate failure” and People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said it has a “massive black hole”. Minister for the Environment, Climate and Energy, Darragh O’Brien TD said that the Climate Action Plan 2025 “reaffirms” Ireland’s position as a “leader” in addressing climate change, while also reconfirming the Government’s commitment to hitting its international climate targets.

Minister Chambers announces new taskforce to tackle slow infrastructure delivery
On Tuesday (15 April), Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Jack Chambers TD announced that a new dedicated Infrastructure Division, as well as a taskforce to support its aims, will be established to “address” the “slow pace” of the delivery of long-term infrastructure projects. It will work alongside the Department of Housing’s “new acceleration office”. The taskforce is projected to be chaired by Uisce Éireann, Eirgird and the ESB, and will meet monthly with the goal of addressing the barriers to slow delivery. The Minister stated that stakeholder feedback indicated that there were “too many barriers” to project delivery, and urged that without intervention, delays would “harm economic growth”. Taoiseach Micheál Martin commented that the taskforce is “potentially a game changer” in terms of public service delivery. Sinn Féin criticised the establishment of the taskforce, accusing it of being “driven by optics”.

What we’re reading

Dublin can’t keep ducking the big calls on Irish unity – Suzanne Breen
In Sunday’s (13 April) Belfast Telegraph, the papers political editor Suzanne Breen writes that Irish politicians will soon have to decide whether they want “to end their own state and create a new one”. She says contrasting speeches from Taoiseach Micheál Martin and former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar “perfectly illustrated very different positions on Irish unity”. In an interview on Thursday after the launch of the new phase of the Irish Government’s Shared Island Initiative, Micheál Martin showed “no interest whatsoever in a border poll”, according to Breen. She notes that, in response to a question about what he wants Northern Ireland to look like in 2075, Martin “didn’t even mention a united Ireland”. Hours later, at an event organised by Ireland’s Future in Philadelphia, Leo Varadkar described the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the Good Friday Agreement as “stepping stones” to Irish unity. Breen says Martin’s flagship €1.5bn Shared Island Initiative is “hugely practical”, but “isn’t a bridge to anywhere”. This is why, she argues “Orange Order Grand Secretary Mervyn Gibson and former DUP MP Ian Paisley were happy to attend his Shared Island event”. In contrast, Breen points to Varadkar “calling for preparation for a border poll to begin now”. She also notes that the former Taoiseach told his US audience that there is a strong economic case for unity, but added “even if there was not, I would still support it”. Breen concludes that “demographic change in Northern Ireland means the question of constitutional change isn’t going away”. And “decisions lie ahead for so many politicians in the Republic who, for decades, have avoided them”.

Forward Look

Tuesday 22 April
House of Commons returns from Easter recess

Wednesday 23 April 
House of Commons NI Affairs Committee, The Government’s new approach to addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland – Oral evidence

Monday 28 April
NI Assembly returns from Easter recess
Reform of Stormont: Options for Discussion, Queen’s University Belfast – Read more here.

Tuesday 29 April
Dáil returns from Easter recess

Wednesday 30 April
Taking Control of our Energy Future via Mutualisation in Northern Ireland – Canada Room, QUB – Read more here. 

Thursday 1 May
Belfast Chamber Business Awards Launch – Custom House, Belfast – Read more here.

Tuesday 13 May
NICVA and Department of Education engagement event on 16-18 Legislation consultation, Online – Read more here.

Friday 16 May
Insider ‘Made in Northern Ireland’ Awards 2025 – Titanic Museum Belfast – Read more here.

Monday 19 May
UK-EU Summit in London.

May 2025 – date tbd
Assembly to approve Budget 2025-26

Wednesday 4 June
Healthy Working Lives Conference – Galgorm Resort, Ballymena – Read more here.

Friday 13 – Saturday 14 June
Scottish Conservatives Party Conference – Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Friday 27 – Sunday 29 June
Welsh Labour Party Conference – Venue Cymry, Llandudno

June 2025 – date tbd
British Irish Council hosted by the NI Executive.

Tuesday 1 July – Thursday 2 July
ICTU Biennial Delegate Conference, Waterfront Hall, Belfast – Read more here.

Friday 5 September
NI Chamber Festival of Business – St. George’s Market, Belfast – Read more here.

Friday 19 September
Centre for Cross Border Cooperation Annual Conference – Ballymascanlon Hotel, Dundalk – Read more here.

Friday 19 – Saturday 20 September
DUP Party Conference – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast

Saturday 20 – Tuesday 23 September
Liberal Democrats Party Conference – Bournemouth International Centre

Sunday 28 September – Wednesday 1 October
Labour Party Conference – ACC Liverpool

Friday 3 – Saturday 4 October
SDLP Party Conference – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast

Friday 3 – Sunday 5 October
Green Party of England and Wales Party Conference – Bournemouth International Centre

Sunday 5 – Wednesday 8 October
Conservative Party Conference – Manchester Central Convention Complex

Thursday 9 – Friday 10 October
NIFHA Annual Conference – City Hotel, Derry~Londonderry – Read more here.

Friday 7 November
NI Social Enterprise Awards – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast – Read more here.

Thursday 11 December
NIFHA Housing Finance Conference – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Templepatrick.