Other News In Brief

New GP Contractor Appointed To Bridge Street Family Practice

Foyleside Family Practice has been appointed to run Bridge Street Family Practice in L'Derry from 01 August, the Department of Health (DoH) has announced.

Foyleside, an existing GP practice located in Bridge Street Medical Centre, was appointed following an extensive search to identify a new GP contractor to take over the practice, after the termination of the contract by the previous contractor in January 2023.

All 4,748 patients of Bridge Street Family Practice have been automatically registered with the new practice.

NI Agri-Environment Farmers Participate In Farm Innovation Visit

A group of agri-environment farmers from across NI have travelled to the Cotswold's for a 3-day Farm Innovation Visit (FIV), accompanied by CAFRE Technologist Henry Shaw and Adviser Regina McBennett.

FIVs provide farmers with the opportunity to visit farm businesses in other parts of the UK or Europe to learn about new innovations.

The trip focused on enhancing biodiversity within a viable, climate resilient farming system.

Day one began at FarmEd's facilities which are located on a 107acre mixed enterprise demonstration farm near Shipton under Wychwood in the Cotswold's Hills. The farm runs a diverse arable rotation alternating with sheep and cattle pasture. Additional enterprises such as a micro dairy, a vegetable market and fruit trees provide enterprise stacking and create rural jobs.

FarmEd's primary aim is to show farmers there are other viable and sustainable ways to manage land and make an equal or improved return that is future proofed.

All the farms visited were of a substantial acreage, however the regenerative principles and on farm diversification targeting high end markets demonstrated innovations that are transferable to Northern Ireland.

The trip offered insight into how farms have moved to a regenerative system profitably, improving farm viability and enhancing wildlife and protection of our water and soils.

Stormont Needed Ahead Of NI Investment Summit – UUP

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has renewed their call for the immediate restoration of Stormont to ensure ministers are in place for the Northern Ireland Investment Summit in September.

Several hundred delegates are expected in Belfast for the conference, representing huge potential for inward investment from the United States, continental Europe and the Republic of Ireland.

The party's economy spokesperson, Mike Nesbitt, said: "If proponents of the Windsor Framework are right to say it offers unique dual access to both the European Single Market and UK Internal Market, then politicians have a duty to do all we can to enhance the economic environment and in the first instance that means demonstrating we can provide stability in government. Frankly, it would be a political crime to do otherwise.

"When the north east of the island was an economic powerhouse a hundred years ago, we had a global reputation in a number of sectors, including agriculture, textiles, engineering and shipbuilding. Today, we are again making our mark internationally, in creative industries, financial and professional services, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, Net Zero and cyber security.

"Our business leaders have done their part. It's now over to politicians to respond in kind, re-opening the debate on how best to create the environment in which wealth creators can generate more jobs, yielding greater tax takes that better fund our hard-pressed public services.

"A key element of that debate must be Corporation Tax (CT). When I entered politics over a decade ago, the Ulster Unionist Party was the one suggesting we set a Northern Ireland specific CT rate. We saw it as a game changer for the economy, in recognition of the huge advantage enjoyed by the Republic of Ireland, who were attracting Foreign Direct Investors with the lure of lower tax demands. We need to diminish the power of that differential.

"Given the Dublin Government is being forced to raise their rate of Corporation Tax in line with new international standards, the time is right to consider activating Stormont's right to apply our own CT rate. The open question is whether we are still required to follow the so-called Azores Ruling, which was a European Union decision that linked a lower rate of Corporation Tax to a reduction in our annual Block Grant. Given we have left the EU, this is a test of whether Brexit means we have really 'taken back control'.

"Having spent time in New York, Washington DC, Houston and Atlanta in the weeks since the Windsor Framework was announced, the common theme I was hearing was that the time is right to look at investing in Northern Ireland – not because we need a helping hand, but because American business people understand the Framework makes Northern Ireland an attractive place to do business. I got the same message in Scotland last week.

"The Northern Ireland Investment Summit is 12 weeks away. That is time enough to get devolution back up and running, allowing potential inward investors to focus exclusively on the unique offer of our economy, untainted by concerns about our divisive and often dysfunctional politics."