Comms Office 
Dr Cathal McCall (QUB) A United Kingdom (UK) exit from the European Union (EU) poses significant questions for the UK’s borders, the most pertinent of which are: would there be a need for a hard border? If so, where would it run? The primary goal of the Leave campaign is to halt the influx of … Read more
Dr Lee McGowan (QUB) Ahead of a now imminent referendum on the United Kingdom’s (UK) membership of the European Union (EU) this presentation addresses the specific issue of how much the EU dimension matters to Northern Ireland and considers the implications of a Brexit for this region of the UK. It is divided into two … Read more
Prof David Phinnemore (QUB) The presentation reviews the nature and content of the outcome to the UK government’s attempt to renegotiate the terms of UK membership of the European Union (EU) as well as options for a new relationship in the case of a vote to leave the EU. The presentation reviews the agreement reached … Read more
Dr Alastair Ruffell (QUB) Buried illegal waste and uncontrolled legal waste dumps are a major problem in Northern Ireland, as well as in Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Canada. The mention of the words ‘Moubouy Road’ are enough to demonstrate to anyone the politically-charged nature of this problem. Yet the environmental (loss of habitat, pollution of groundwater) … Read more
Prof Ian Montgomery (QUB) Agriculture in Northern Ireland (NI) has changed little from 1970 with its emphasis on grass production and livestock sectors. It is dependent on a narrow range of enterprises and subsidies, and beset by production, waste, financial and social issues. NI agriculture lacks a strategic plan that addresses its problems holistically, or … Read more
Dr Orla Drummond (Ulster) The Access to Justice Review (2) identified the difficulties faced by tribunal users in securing access to justice, and poses questions about how tribunal users might be best supported. Recent research from Ulster University’s Law School provides an in-depth examination of the barriers faced by users of Special Educational Needs Tribunals, … Read more
Dr Grainne McKeever (Ulster) The Access to Justice Review (2) is intended to address the challenges faced in ensuring access to justice for citizens at a time of reduced public expenditure, and part of the remit of the Review is to identify additional or alternative forms of legal support for citizens. The Review’s Agenda identifies … Read more
Dr Neil Matthews (QUB) This presentation outlines key findings from research on party candidate selection procedures and their impact on the number of women selected to contest elections in Northern Ireland. Relatively little is known of both the nature of the selection methods adopted by Northern Ireland’s main political parties and their role in producing … Read more
Dr Victoria Durrer with Kevin Murphy (Voluntary arts Ireland) and Rosalind Lowry (Arts & Events Development Officer, Mid and East Antrim Council) The ‘Creative Citizens Programme’ is a partnership between Voluntary Arts Ireland (VAI) and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. ‘Creative Citizens’ is an action research project that brings local people together with local … Read more
Dr John Garry (QUB) How can the quality of governance in Northern Ireland be enhanced? This presentation addresses this broad question by focusing on the extent to which the quality of democratic decision making in Northern Ireland may be increased by facilitating a role for the considered views of citizens. Specifically, it suggests a feasible … Read more