Mr Swann said that he fully supported the UK Government’s plans to create a smoke-free generation and to tackle youth vaping.

He added that parents and teachers had shared their concerns with him on the growing trend among young people vaping, and that many people in Northern Ireland were also fully behind the government’s plans.

“While vaping can play a role in supporting smoking cessation, the public health advice remains clear – if you don’t smoke or vape, keep it that way – this is particularly important for children and young people,” said Mr Swann.

“If there are measures available that will reduce preventable deaths, help people live longer, healthier lives then, as Health Minister, I must advocate for them.

“Following the restoration of the NI Executive and with their support, I requested that Northern Ireland be included in the UK Government bill and this has now been agreed. Ultimately, it will be for the NI Assembly to take a final decision on our inclusion.

“Having previously introduced legislation in 2021 to help protect children from the harms of tobacco smoke and vaping, I am confident that these latest measures, if passed, will enable us to go a step further and create a future where our young people are free from these dangers.”

‘The government needs to make more financial resources available for educational campaigns’

National President of the Fed, Muntazir Dipoti

UK Minister for Public Health, Andrea Leadsom welcomed the news that Northern Ireland will “bring forward the smoke-free generation”.

“It’s excellent our Northern Ireland colleagues will join us in tackling the worrying rise in youth vaping – putting children’s health first.”

The UK Government plans also includes a ban on disposable vapes, with the proposed ban anticipated to be progressed under environmental legislation in Great Britain. The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs is considering the next steps for Northern Ireland.

However, the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) said a ban on disposable vapes would only fuel illicit sales.

“Banning disposable vapes in the UK will not help people give up smoking and vaping but will fuel the illicit market,” said National President, Muntazir Dipoti.

To clamp down on young people vaping, the government needed to make more financial resources available for educational campaigns, while more enforcement activity was required, especially at borders to prevent counterfeit products entering the market, Mr Dipoti added.

The post Northern Ireland to be included in UK Government’s tobacco and vapes bill first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Retail NI is urging the public to vote for candidates who have the right policy priorities to regenerate our local high streets.

The document, ‘Revive NI’ sets out key policy priorities to create green 21^st century high streets, empower local councils and fix what Retail NI calls “our broken and antiquated business rating system”.

For an incoming Executive, ‘Revive NI’ also sets out new proposals for business rates relief to promote scale-up, investment in green technology and Foreign Direct Investment in disadvantaged areas.

Launching the document Retail NI Vice-President Helen Wall said: “Retail NI want to see refocused, reinvigorated and resourced local councils that will be the changemakers helping to create 21^st century high streets and be key partners in making Northern Ireland the very best place in these islands to locate, start and scale up a business.

‘With these Local Government Elections, we believe it is time to update our policy priorities and introduce some new ideas for our 11 councils’

“Alongside a dynamic retail and hospitality offering we also need to ensure our villages, towns and cities become multi-functional hubs with libraries, community services, police stations, healthcare, leisure, education, open spaces, housing, and sports facilities.

“The theme of this Revive NI is regeneration and how to create 21st century town and city centres. With these Local Government elections, we believe it is time to update our policy priorities and introduce some new ideas for our 11 councils, their 462 councillors, our 90 MLAs and 18 MPs.”

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: “This election shouldn’t be about the Windsor Framework. Voters need to consider which candidates and parties have the right policy priorities to deliver economic regeneration and revived high streets.

“For an incoming NI Executive, we set our new proposals for additional rates relief to incentivise businesses to scale-up and create new jobs or invest in energy efficient technology.

“In addition, we are outlining proposals for an FDI Rate Relief scheme to encourage new companies to locate in disadvantaged areas to boost their local economies.”

The post Programme for newly-elected Local Government launched by Retail NI first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The NI Executive remains inactive as the DUP refuses to return to government amid ongoing Brexit negotiations; while Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris has called on Stormont leaders to engage in fresh talks ahead of an upcoming election deadline.

Against this backdrop, some of the key figures in business and trade in Northern Ireland have warned retailers to brace for a challenging time ahead and have pleaded with politicians to return to the Executive table.

Chief Executive of Retail NI, Glyn Roberts called on the Executive to be “immediately reinstated” and said the restoration of devolution should be an “immediate priority”.

CHALLENGES FOR BUSINESSES

“Local high streets face their toughest challenge yet in 2023,” said Mr Roberts.

“With a cost-of-doing-business crisis, the most expensive business rates in the UK, rising energy costs, inflation and a fall in spending, 2023 is going to be the biggest ever challenge for Northern Ireland’s high streets.”

Indeed, post-Christmas footfall in Northern Ireland remained low, with a rise of 5.1% in the week after Christmas. While a rise on the same period in 2021, compared to 2019 figures footfall in NI was down 22.5%.

The latest report from retail data firm, Springboard, showed a weaker rate of footfall growth in Northern Ireland when compared to the UK as a whole, with NI seeing the second weakest rate of increase.

In his new year message, Glyn Roberts also pointed out that when rates bills are struck later this year, NI businesses will suffer once again.

‘This is a time when we need political leadership like never before’

NI Chamber of Commerce President, Gillian McAuley

“English independent retailers and small businesses are getting a 75% reduction in their rates bills, yet their counterparts in Northern Ireland will not get this reduction and are likely to have inflation busting increases in their bills when local councils strike their rates,” he said.

“This is blatantly unfair, and Retail NI is making this issue our top priority to ensure there is parity of rates relief for our members.

“Throughout this crisis, we should have had an Executive in place with Ministers pulling out all the stops to support local families and small businesses,” he added.

This sentiment was echoed by the NI Chamber of Commerce President, Gillian McAuley in her new year statement, in which she said political stability was a “pre-requisite”.

“While most businesses continued to trade well or at least reasonably in 2022, by the end of the summer as many as 20 per cent were telling us they were simply covering costs as inflation began to spiral,” she said.

“It is not yet clear what 2023 holds for the world as the protracted war in Ukraine continues. But we do know that this is a time when we need political leadership like never before.

“The cost of having to endure a stop-start Executive alongside battling the pandemic is almost six years of very little strategic decision-making. As a result, we are falling behind significantly in many areas and important time has been lost at a great cost.

“And yes, as is often said, business is ‘just getting on with it’, but there is so much more we could achieve in partnership with a functioning government and legislature,” she added.

The post Political stability is “essential” for NI businesses state industry reps first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The post Former NI Retail Consortium director Aodhan Connolly honoured by Queen first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Mr Mullan takes over from immediate past Chair Nick Whelan and will hold the position for two years.

Ursula Lavery, Technical and R&D Director Europe, Moy Park has been appointed as Vice Chair.

Speaking after his appointment, George Mullan called for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive, saying, “This is a pivotal time for Northern Ireland food and drink as we seek to continue to grow the sector while navigating our way though the challenges of sustainable growth, climate change, food inflation and supply chain issues.

“We cannot address these challenges alone. Progress areas will require investment and collaboration with stakeholders and all levels of government. We need to get the new Assembly up and running, and for Ministers to be appointed to champion the industry at this pivotal moment.

“Food and drink is a key strategic sector in the Northern Ireland economy. We are the largest single manufacturing industry here, generating £4.9 billion value added, and supporting 113,000 workforce jobs across the supply chain. We feed 10 million people worldwide, and our industry is world leading when it comes to quality, innovation, sustainability, animal welfare and commercial success.

“I am confident that we can boost our growth, build upon our sustainability credentials and play a key role in Northern Ireland’s economic recovery with the right level of collaboration between industry and government. It’s time for our politicians to get back to work.”

The post New NIFDA chair calls for restoration of NI Executive first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.