Weekly Bulletin. What you need to know this week…

Economy Minister outlines proposals for Good Jobs Bill
On Monday (28 April) in the Assembly, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald outlined her proposals for the Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill, which she described as the “biggest upgrade of our employment legislation since the Good Friday Agreement”. The Bill has four themes: Terms of Employment, Pay and Benefits, Voice and Representation, and Work Life Balance. Key changes to employment law include ending zero hour contracts  and further rights for agency workers. Dr Archibald said the Bill would be supported by statutory Codes of Practice on the Right to Disconnect and on “positive workplace relationships”. The right to flexible working will also be made a “day one right” by removing the current 26-week qualifying period. She also stated her goal of expanding trade union membership, especially in the private sector, which the Bill will support by lowering the number of workers needed to form a union and modernising union obligations. The Bill will also give workers the right to one week of unpaid carer’s leave every 12 months, in line with GB. Dr Archibald said it is her “objective” to allow for paid carer’s leave, but that while powers to enact paid carer’s leave will be included in legislation, they will not come into effect until the Executive can provide funding.
What Next: The Bill will now be put to the Executive for approval. The Irish News reports that the finalised Bill is expected to be laid before the Assembly in January 2026 and will be passed before the end of the current mandate in May 2027.

Council told to reallocate millions of funding as Mourne Gondola project is stopped
On Friday (2 May), the Belfast Telegraph reported that the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) had been urged to reallocated tens of millions of funding to an “alternative option”, following the news that the National Trust has decided not to lease land to the council for the Mourne Gondala project. The project, which involved a visitor centre and gondola experience in the Thomas Quarry area of the Mournes, was estimated to cost £50 million, of which £30 million was from the Belfast City Regional Deal. The National Trust said that “as a conservation charity” it could not support this large scale project, which would invite “substantial visitor numbers”, into an already “fragile and threatened” area. The National Trust added that it had never endorsed the project. A spokesperson for NMDDC said they were “disappointed” with the charity’s decision as a “comprehensive environmental impact assessment” had already begun, adding that the project failing to move forward will result in a “huge economic loss” for the area. Alliance Party South Down representative Andrew McMurray MLA said the decision was “incredibly welcome” due to the environmental concerns over the project. However, the DUP representative for the local constituency Diane Forsythe MLA expressed concern about the economic impact of the decision, saying the potential loss of City Deal funding would be “a major missed opportunity” for the area.
What Next: The National Trust says that it has informed the Department for the Economy of its decision and will work with the council and other stakeholders to consider “alternative projects with significantly less risk and environmental impact”.

NI Secretary confirms there are no changes to criteria for border poll
Yesterday (30 April), Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP “reassured unionists” that the criteria for calling an Irish unity poll remain unchanged, according to the Belfast Telegraph. Mr Benn was responding to a letter from UUP Leader Mike Nesbitt MLA, who sought clarity following comments from Northern Ireland Office Minister Fleur Anderson which suggested that opinion polls could trigger a referendum. Mr Benn said: “There is only one criterion for the holding of such a poll, which is the one that is clearly set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998.” The Act states that only the Secretary of State can direct the holding of such a poll if at any time it appears likely to him that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom. Mr Nesbitt warned it would be “a brave secretary” to rely exclusively on opinion polls. DUP Deputy Leader Michelle McIlveen MLA had  previously called Ms Anderson’s remarks “disgraceful”.
What Next: Sinn Féin have renewed calls for a border poll by 2030, stating that momentum is “growing every day”.

Stakeholder Watch

Assembly Communities Committee Chair Colm Gildernew MLA (SF, Fermanagh & South Tyrone): “Honoured to welcome @BDA_Deaf to Communities Committee. A strong reminder: while we fight to protect rights, others fight to be heard. #ISL & #BSL are beautiful, vital languages — and #signlanguage is a human right. Reform must be led by users. We’ll keep pushing for real change”.

DUP: “How ridiculous have things become that it took the UK Supreme Court to rule on the definition of a woman – something the vast majority of people already knew the answer to. @JBuckleyMLA”

Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir MLA (Alliance, North Down): “I am firmly committed to working with the entire agriculture sector to get to a more sustainable position with nutrients and water quality. I would urge respondents to make their views on the updated Nutrients Action Programme known before consultation closes on 26 June 2025”.

Dr Steve Aiken MLA (UUP, South Antrim): [In response to a tweet on ‘why the Windsor Framework is not delivering for GB-NI’] “‘Best of Both Worlds’ – the reality is very different. Levels of checks doubled or tripled, added costs of ‘IT’, bureaucracy doubled, just what is the huge cost of @hilarybennmp @NIOgov ‘faithful implementation’? Even the rigorous implementors can’t ignore that @uuponline”.

Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA (SDLP, South Belfast & Mid Down): “Having promised an overhaul of workers rights (but not published an actual Bill) on Monday, Sinn Féin tonight worked with Alliance to force an extension of Sunday opening for giant retailers, against the express wishes of workers, trade unions and small shops. And on May day…”

Jim Allister MP (TUV, North Antrim): “Congratulations to Reform on historic by-election win. As Labour gears up to start to reverse Brexit through its upcoming ‘reset’ with the EU, it is imperative that restoring UK sovereignty over all parts of the country becomes a central issue”.

Department for Communities: “Minister @gordonlyons1 today hosted a reception at Stormont to mark the incredible success of the @BelfastGiants as they take the Elite League title for the third time in four years.

Other stories

3% of adults experiencing problem gambling in Northern Ireland
On Wednesday (30 April), the Department for Communities published the findings of the NI Gambling Prevalence Survey for 2024, which shows that 3% of adults in NI are considered to be “problem gamblers”. A further 5% were considered to be moderate risk gamblers and 5% were considered to be low risk gamblers. The proportion of people experiencing problem gambling has increased since the last survey in 2016 (2.3%). Based on other recent data from across these islands, NI has a higher rate of problem gambling than in GB (2.5%) but a lower rate of problem gambling than in ROI (3.3%). The report also notes that those who buy scratchcards or participate in sports betting and online gaming were more likely to be considered moderate risk or problem gamblers. The findings highlighted that 92% of people had seen some form of gambling advertising in the last month, most common forms of advertising seen were TV ads (79%) and online ads (57%). Responding to the results, Philip McGuigan MLA, Chair of the All-Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling, said the figures showed the need for the Executive to adopt a public health approach to gambling-related harms.

BT intends to close Derry~Londonderry operations despite offer of support from Economy Minister
On Wednesday (30 April), BBC News NI reported that telecommunications company BT is to close its office in Derry~Londonderry, with the potential loss of 140 jobs. The company said that most jobs will be moved to India, while other roles will be relocated to Belfast. Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA said the news is “deeply disappointing”. In a statement, she said she met with BT to offer support from her Department and from Invest NI to keep the jobs in the region, but the company is going ahead with its consultation. Colum Eastwood MP (SDLP, Foyle) said the news was “devasting” for those affected and the local economy. SDLP Economy Spokesperson Sinéad McLaughlin MLA (Foyle) said a “joined-up strategy for regional economic growth” is needed for investment across NI, not just the “Belfast commuter belt”. Pádraig Delargy MLA (SF, Foyle) said the news was “extremely concerning”, adding that BT’s decision “flies in the face of the economic consensus which is to create regional balance”. 

UK Government criticised for decision to challenge Sean Brown public inquiry ruling
On Wednesday (30 April), BBC News NI reported that the UK Government intends to challenge a court ruling that found its decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder of Sean Brown was unlawful. The decision will now come before the Supreme Court. NI Secretary Hilary Benn MP said he remained determined to have a “full, thorough and independent investigation” into Mr Brown’s murder, but the challenge will cause a delay. First Minister Michelle O’Neill described the decision as “cruel and inhumane”, while SDLP leader Claire Hanna said it was “appalling”. A spokesperson for the Tánaiste (Irish Deputy PM) Simon Harris TD said “the Brown family have waited too long to find out the truth of what happened to Sean Brown”.  Mr Brown was shot dead in 1997 after being abducted by loyalist paramilitaries outside a GAA club in Bellaghy.

Public Consultation launched on the Nutrients Action Programme to Improve Water Quality
On Thursday (1 May), Minister for Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs Andrew Muir MLA launched a public consultation on the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) for 2026 – 2029. The NAP aims to improve water quality by reducing and preventing pollution caused by nutrients from agricultural sources. Excess nutrients are a significant contributor to the blue-green algae blooms in Lough Neagh. Minister Muir noted that 62% of high nutrient levels in waterbodies in NI come from agriculture, but recognised that “agriculture is not the only sector impacting on water quality”. He said: “It is important that all sectors play their part in improving water quality.”  The consultation closes on 26 June 2025.

Executive Office criticised for failing to respond to questions from media and MLAs
The Executive Office (TEO), the Department of the First and deputy First Minister, has been criticised for “repeatedly failing” to respond to media queries, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, Assembly questions, and for failing to provide information to its Assembly scrutiny committee. The Belfast Telegraph described on Monday (28 April) how it can be “challenging” to get TEO to respond to media queries. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has sought a meeting with TEO, with general secretary Seamus Dooley saying many media organisations believe there is “a reluctance to deal in any meaningful way with media queries”. The SDLP’s Sinead McLaughlin MLA, a member of the Assembly Committee for The Executive Office, said that “dither and delay” from TEO is causing “chaos”.

Department of Finance launches Social Value Strategy
On Thursday (1 May) the Department of Finance published a Social Value Strategy 2025-27. The strategy has four pillars: increasing secure employment and skills; building ethical and resilient supply-chains; delivering climate action; and promoting well-being. Some targets of the strategy include, by 31 March 2027, allocate at least 10% to social value of the maximum weighted score to deliver secure employment and skills through the Public Shared Network contract, and by 31 March 2027 allocate at least 10% to social value of the maximum weighted score to deliver climate action through Print Management and Multi-Functional Devices.

Education Minister publishes TransformED Delivery Plan
Education Minister Paul Givan has published a new Delivery Plan for the TransformED Strategy, which aims to reform and improve education delivery in NI. Minister Givan said the plan “represents a break with what has gone before”, emphasising its focus on investing in teachers and “relentlessly improving” curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. He concluded: “This ambitious reform programme has the potential to transform education in Northern Ireland for a generation.”

Minister Givan announces independent panel to undertake the Review of Teacher Workload
On Thursday (1 May), Education Minister Paul Givan announced the independent panel to undertake the Review of Teacher Workload. The Minister appointed Paul Sweeney as Chairperson, and Larry Flanagan and Liam Perry as members. The members are due to provide the Minister with a reports by the end of November 2025. The panel was part of the ministerial “intervention” in the pay offer negotiations earlier in April which was cited by unions as being “crucial” in providing a solution.

Across the border

NAMA chief rules himself out of housing czar role after Fine Gael blocks appointment
On Thursday (1 May), RTÉ News reported that National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) chief Brendan McDonagh has told Minister for Housing James Browne TD that he no longer wishes to be considered for the position so-called “housing czar”. Mr McDonagh had been Minister Browne’s preferred candidate for the role of CEO of the Government’s new Housing Activation Office, which aims to remove barriers to housing delivery. It comes after a divide emerged between coalition partners Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over McDonagh’s appointment amid heavy criticism from opposition parties, in particular the possibility that Mr McDonagh would retain his current €430,000 salary in the new role. According to the Irish Times, Fine Gael ministers vetoed McDonagh’s appointment at the Cabinet housing subcommittee on Thursday, with Tánaiste Simon Harris TD reporting that he felt that his party had been “kept out of the loop” about McDonagh’s appointment. It is understood that the role will now be put out to a public recruitment process.

Sinn Féin amendment to change terms of Oireachtas Defence and National Security Committee rejected 
The Dáil voted to formally establish 28 Oireachtas committees while rejecting a Sinn Féin amendment to remove a clause limiting the remit of the newly established Committee on Defence and National Security. The Government proposes that the national security remit of the committee, which will be chaired by Sinn Féin’s Rose Conway-Walsh TD, is limited to “cyber-defence, sub-sea critical infrastructure and related hybrid threats”. According to RTÉ News, Sinn Féin Chief Whip Padraig MacLochlainn TD said this would “dilute and limit proper oversight of national security” by the new committee. Labour Party whip Duncan Smith TD agreed the definition is “far too narrow and excludes so many other threats to national security”. A spokesperson for Government Chief Whip Mary Butler TD said: “It would not be appropriate for a new committee to be intruding into areas already covered by other committees”.

Justice Minister passes Bill to abolish juries in defamation cases despite previous opposition
On Wednesday (30 April), the Dáil voted 86 to 64 to abolish juries in High Court defamation cases. The Irish Times writes that newly appointed Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan TD, a former barrister, had opposed the Bill as a Government backbencher when it was introduced last year. In the Dáil debate, Independent  Catharine Connolly TD quoted from his previous remarks, when he said: “If we abolish juries, I can guarantee [to] the House that we will develop a whole body of jurisprudence that will result in cases being repeatedly appealed to the Court of Appeal and probably the Supreme Court.” She urged the Minister to “be proud” of his words and show “moral courage and leadership”. In response, Minister O’Callaghan said one of the consequences of being in a political party “is the need and necessity for compromise”, stating that passing the Defamation Bill was part of the Fianna Fáil manifesto and a commitment in the Programme for Government. It comes as former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams was questioned in the High Court this week as part of his defamation action against the BBC. Mr Adams claims a BBC Spotlight programme in 2016 defamed him by falsely accusing him of sanctioning the killing of MI5 agent Denis Donaldson.

What we’re reading

Why ‘others’ matter most in battle to save Union come the referendum
Writing in the Belfast Telegraph on Thursday (24 April), the paper’s Political Editor Suzanne Breen says unionists “accross the spectrum” have been critical of NIO Minister Fleur Anderson MP’s suggestion that the decision to call a border poll would be based on opinion polls. Professor Jon Tonge of Liverpool University tells Breen he has “some sympathy” for the NIO’s disavowal of Ms Anderson’s comments, warning that opinion polls, particularly online ones, can be manipulated. However, Tonge explains to Breen that excluding opinion polls is “potentially problematic” for those who do not want to see a referendum, because election results show unionists and nationalists “neck-and-neck”. The British Government, he argues, “needs to retain the support of the ‘others’ – those who don’t vote unionist or nationalist — if the Union is to be maintained”. Election surveys conducted by Liverpool University and Queen’s University Belfast, he maintains, show that the Government currently has majority support from the ‘others’, but this is not guaranteed going forward. While “an exciting greenprint on unity” may win over ‘other’ voters, Tonge continues, there is currently a “lack of drive” here from the Irish Government,   He concludes that while “a 60%-40% vote” in favour of remaining in the union “would be realistic”, it “wouldn’t put the issue to bed”. By contrast, Breen writes, data from pollster Bill White’s LucidTalk shows greater support for Irish unity than remaining in the UK among Alliance and Green party voters. White, she says, attributes this difference to online polls, like LucidTalk’s, producing a lower rate of ‘don’t knows’ than face-to-face polls. And while some polls show lower support for Irish unity, these are not in line with election results. He explains to Breen that the “Sinn Fein, SDLP, People Before Profit vote” is now consistently above 40% in all elections”; highlighting that recent polls have shown a “small downward drift” in support for the Union, dropping to below 50%.

Forward Look

Tuesday 6 May
NI Assembly Plenary session – Question Time: Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister; Private Members’ Business: Review of Local Councils’ Animal Welfare Policies (UUP); Voting Rights for the Election of the President of Ireland (Sinn Féin) – View the full Order Paper here.

Wednesday 7 May
The Assembly Committees for Infrastructure, Economy, Finance, Education, and The Executive Office will meet – View committee agendas here. 

Thursday 8 May
The Assembly Committees for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Communities, and the Public Accounts Committee will meet. The Committee for Health will visit the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Learning and Development College – View committee agendas 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.

Saturday 31 May
Deadline to submit feedback to the Murphy Review of the Windsor Framework – Read more here.

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

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

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

Monday 30 June
Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel to submit its report to the NI Secretary – Read more here.

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.

Saturday 5 July
NI Assembly summer recess begins

Tuesday 22 July
UK Parliament summer recess
Publication of the M

Sunday 31 August
NI Assembly returns from summer recess

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 October – Saturday 4 October
SDLP Conference – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast

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

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

Saturday 25 October – Sunday 2 November
NI Assembly Halloween recess

Saturday 13 December
NI Assembly Christmas recess