Legal needs of children and young people in Northern Ireland

Lesley Emerson, Professor Laura Lundy, Dr Katrina Lloyd and Dr Karen Orr (QUB) Research was carried out on behalf of the Department of Justice to explore the need for legal services for children and young people (CYP) in Northern Ireland (NI). Interviews were carried out with key stakeholders with direct experience of the legal needs … Read more

Can the peace dividend and devolution transform business in Northern Ireland: lessons from the UK fastest growing sub-region?

Dr Leslie Budd (OU) This presentation will consider this issue and draw on research in regard to the kind businesses and management challenges developing in Milton Keynes and its hinterland: the fastest growth region in the United Kingdom. If Milton Keynes can be considered a growth pole, what are its propulsive industries (in the sense … Read more

The Role of Knowledge Management in Building a Sustainable Economy in Northern Ireland

Dr Sandra Moffett (Ulster) The current Programme for Government 2011-15 focuses on growing a sustainable economy and investing in the future of Northern Ireland. To recover from the current economic downturn, organisations strive to become more innovative, streamlined and focused, providing high quality value-added goods/services to customers, in an efficient yet achievable way. To grow … Read more

Home and Away: Exploiting the Corpus of Northern Ireland Placenames for Cultural Tourism

Professor Mícheál Ó Mainnín (QUB) The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project is engaged in research on the history of over 30,000 local place-names. These names, of varying linguistic origin (primarily Irish, English and Scots), give Ulster place-names their distinct character. Furthermore, emigrants to the New World brought their names with them: e.g. Derry and Londonderry in … Read more

Women in Politics

Professor Yvonne Galligan (QUB) Making democracy ‘fit for purpose’ is a continuing theme in 21st century politics. An aspect that has loomed large in this debate is the under-representation of women in political life. As legislatures across these islands and beyond have become more gender equal in representation, the record of women’s representation in the … Read more

Petitions of Concern

Dr Alex Schwartz (QUB) Northern Ireland’s system of government includes several mechanisms designed to facilitate inclusive cross-community power-sharing. One such mechanism is the “Petition of Concern”; any decision of the Assembly may be subjected to the requirement of cross-community consent where a Petition of Concern is signed by at least 30 MLAs. The Assembly and … Read more

The importance of doing regular physical activity to health, society and the economy: Time for a major re-think

Dr Mark Tully and Dr Ruth Hunter (QUB) It is estimated that physical inactivity is responsible for 6 –10% of deaths, at a cost to the NHS of £1.06 billion/year and so the potential public health dividend of increasing physical activity in the population is substantial. Recent data for Northern Ireland show that over 60% … Read more

Driving as a Public Health Problem

Professor Lindsay Prior (QUB) Young drivers have high injury rates and, as a result, high insurance premiums. Few interventions have been effective in reducing crash rates among young drivers, but restrictions introduced in other parts of the world such as Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) have been shown to be effective. To address the young driver … Read more

The Societal Effects of Sport in Northern Ireland: Examining Marginalisation and Mental Health Issues

Dr David Hassan (Ulster) This presentation will examine a range of societal effects of participation in sport, with a particular emphasis on improving mental health. It will build on a joint ministerial initiative promoting positive mental health in rural communities through sport, which was launched in March 2013. The presentation will also outline a range … Read more

The Impact Study: Improving Mental Health Pathways and Care for Adolescents in Transition to Adult Services in Northern Ireland

Professor Gerard Leavey (Ulster) This presentation will focus on the provision of services for adolescents in Northern Ireland during the transitional stage from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS). The Bamford Review highlighted concerns that services in Northern Ireland may be under resourced, patchy and inconsistent in their … Read more