Prof J. Andrew G Cooper (Ulster): Recent storms on the Northern Ireland coast have caused widespread flooding and coastal erosion. Erosion threatens buildings, roads, railways and other infrastructure, but is also a vital natural process that sustains beaches, and is essential to maintenance of a healthy coastal ecosystem. Societal responses to erosion include: (a) hard … Read more
Prof Rory O’Connell (Ulster), Mr Eoin Rooney, Prof Colin Harvey (QUB) and Prof Aoife Nolan (Nottingham, ex QUB): This presentation discusses the findings of multidisciplinary research, to develop an approach to budget analysis, as applied to housing in Northern Ireland. The research is based upon a robust methodology incorporating economic analysis and legal principles, following … Read more
Ms Lindsay Shaw (Ulster): There are social inequality issues relating to low/limited income households being less able to afford a better standard of housing. While there is a ‘Fitness Standard’ (the minimum standard for housing in Northern Ireland), this is recognised as outdated and offers inadequate protection. In England, the fitness standard’ was replaced by … Read more
Prof Brigid Featherstone (OU) and Dr John Devaney (QUB): In both England and Northern Ireland there appears to be a policy consensus that early authoritative intervention is required with families in order to ensure vulnerable children do not remain too long in neglectful situations. Recent legislation in England – such as the Children and Families … Read more
Dr Taiwo Oriola (Ulster) – Revenge pornography encapsulates the act of online distribution or publication of sexually explicit private images or films of an ex-girlfriend, boyfriend, or partner, without their consent; with a view to humiliating or causing distress for a perceived wrong or slight. Whilst revenge pornography predates the Internet, the ubiquitous Internet, the … Read more
Dr John Topping (QUB) – Governed primarily under the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (PACE), the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) use of stop and search powers have remained as a consistent – and growing – power over the past decade. Analysis of most recent data shows the powers are used … Read more
Prof Gráinne McKeever, Dr Lucy Royal-Dawson, Dr John McCord and Dr Eleanor Kirk (Ulster) – This presentation presents findings based on qualitative and quantitative research with personal litigants conducted from September 2016 to September 2017, in civil and family law proceedings in Northern Ireland. Research provides an evidence-based analysis of the reasons why people self-represent and the … Read more
Dr Alice Diver (Ulster): This presentation looks at the right to genetic identity/relatedness, with reference to some recent controversial cases involving adoption, surrogacy, donor children in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. Such comparative research indicates that in many cases the rights of the child are either over looked or … Read more
Dr Peter Bolan, Dr Karise Hutchinson and Mr Matthew Kearney (Ulster): This presentation explains that golf and film tourism are both highly lucrative and Northern Ireland must develop and plan for them in a more strategic manner. First it outlines findings from an extensive study (utilising surveys, interviews, and observation methods internationally and domestically) by … Read more
Dr Brendan Galbraith and Ms Kirsty McManus (Ulster): A key question is how do business models ensure that new high-tech innovations are responsible, benefit society and are well aligned to regional policy? This is an increasingly important question for policy-makers and high tech small firms in Northern Ireland. The question is important because although innovation adoption … Read more