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Economy Minister Diane Dodds has urged people to holiday at home this year and said this will provide a much-needed boost to Northern Ireland’s tourism industry. Tourism NI’s new ‘A small step to a giant adventure’ campaign is encouraging people across Northern Ireland to plan staycations ahead of the indicative reopening date for the hospitality […]

Health Minister Robin Swann has launched a new campaign to help boost the adult social care workforce in Northern Ireland. The ‘Social Care – Making a Difference’ campaign has been developed by the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) on behalf of the Department of Health as part of its ongoing work to reform Adult […]

Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Area is to benefit from a funding boost of more than £200,000, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has announced. The Department for Communities’ funding will be used to extend Carnagat Community House in Newry, which is a hub for the local community. Commenting on the investment of £234,000 from the Department’s Neighbourhood Renewal […]

Keep coming forward for your first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses. That’s the clear advice to the public, as the unprecedented drive to protect the population continues. Vaccines continue to save lives in Northern Ireland and to protect people from serious illness. The Astra Zeneca vaccine continues to be essential in the successful roll-out of […]

Finance Minister Conor Murphy has announced the winners of the Department of Finance’s Open Data Innovation and Outreach Fund. Eight projects from Belfast and Newry will benefit from the £40,000 fund which encourages innovation in the reuse of data on the Open Data NI portal. New for 2021 was an additional category on using data […]

Health Minister Robin Swann has re-iterated his commitment to the development of community perinatal services within Northern Ireland. Delivering the opening address to Northern Ireland’s third Maternal Mental Health Conference to mark Maternal Mental Health Week, the Minister said: “Earlier this year I approved funding for the development of community perinatal services with an investment of […]

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has met with members of the Housing Council to discuss the future of social housing and other housing issues. The Housing Council is a statutory advisory and consultative body made up of local council members.  The Housing Council is consulted by the Housing Executive and the Department for Communities on all […]

Economy Minister Diane Dodds today launched a new Invest Northern Ireland grant scheme to support businesses to investigate and implement new digital technologies that will improve business operations. The COVID-19 Process and Organisational Improvement Grant (POIG) is one of eight new schemes developed by Invest NI over the last year to help businesses address the impact […]

Economy Minister Diane Dodds has opened Southern Regional College’s new £15million campus in Banbridge. This state-of-the-art 4,500 sq m campus provides a strengthened range of further and higher education courses, skills improvement and training opportunities, including apprenticeships, across a range of specialist subject areas. Speaking after performing the official opening, the Minister said: “I am very pleased […]

The revival of an old Newry whiskey brand, Matt D’Arcy, has received a significant boost as the firm has secured its first export orders in over a century. The initial distribution deals see the premium whiskey being sold across France and Germany. Several other agreements in the USA and Canada are being finalised. Matt D’Arcy […]

The announcement by Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey that Carnagat Community Association has received funding of £234,000 from the Neighbourhood Renewal Investment Fund has been warmly welcomed by Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins. The local MLA said, “This will be a massive boost for the Carnagat area, and I want to pay tribute to the […]

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Laura Devlin has called for a Special Council Meeting in the aftermath of the recent Mournes fires. At the recent full meeting of Council, Councillor Devlin spoke of the need for a long-term funded visitor management strategy from central government for the Mournes, as well as urging […]