New Englia

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In a move which many economic analysts and commentators say would transform the semiconductor market in New Englia for the foreseeable future, the North Englian Government through the North Englian Development Bank, the state agency responsible for managing the government's economic investment portfolio, announced its intentions to nationalise struggling semiconductor manufacturer "Electronic Instruments" to address systemic geopolitical vulnerabilities and increase investment into the growth of the domestic semiconductor industry. "It is incumbent upon the government to address matters which leave us exposed to considerable risk," North Englian Minister for Business, Trade and Investment Peter O'Gorman said during a press conference at the cabinet offices in Shandon. "In addressing such risks and vulnerabilities, it requires that the provincial government become directly involved in the market." According to Minister O'Gorman, the nationalisation process would not entail the use of the government's extraordinary powers of seizure but will simply be done by increasing the government's stake in the company. Concurrently, the provincial government's stake in Electronic Instruments stands at 20%, however, following the completion of the process, the government's stake would stand at 100%. Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Iarla MacMurrough stated that the nationalisation would cost the provincial government some 600 million NEP, which the Secretary states the government intends on financing through a series of loans from local banks including NEBC (New Englian Bank of Commerce) and HSB Global Finance. News of Electronic Instruments' financial uncertainty came to the forefront weeks prior when the company fired its Chief Financial Officer in response to continued quarterly losses. "From cost overruns on the construction of new plants to dubious procurement decisions, the company's performance has been deteriorating over the past few years," claimed Ethan Sullivan, a senior stock analyst at HSB Global Finance. "Seeing the markings of a company in deep distress, much of the company's shareholders dumped their stocks in the company and went on to more profitable ventures. As a result of that, the company was near the brink of bankruptcy." According to Minister O'Gorman, Electronic Instruments' nationalisation represents a proactive move by the provincial government to secure the future of the nation's growing semiconductor sector. He noted that as the largest producer of semiconductors in the country, Electronic Instruments' collapse would herald a crisis among firms dependent on semiconductors and would force many to seek alternatives from external sources. "In seeking to reduce our exposure to such a vulnerability we [the provincial government] have embarked upon this path to bring the firm under state management," Minister O'Gorman explained. Similar to nationalisations conducted throughout the region in recent history, Electronic Instruments would be restructured and rebranded. According to Minister O'Gorman, the rebranded firm would be known as North Englian Electronics (NEE), once the company has been restructured and the government would retain 67% of all shares within the company, with the remaining 33% released as free-float. Minister O'Gorman has stated that a restructuring and transformation board has been appointed alongside a CEO. Jade O'Kennedy, former Chief Supply Chain Officer for the Port of Lonmouth, has been appointed interim CEO of NEE.

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Via funding from the South Englia Agricultural Development Bank (SEADB) and technical assistance from the South Englia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (SEARDI), South Englia-based agribusiness startup "Nostromo" has announced its intention to construct the region's largest indoor vertical farm, with the intention of leading a revolution toward reducing New Englia's dependence on imported food. The $500 million NEP facility, which is expected to begin construction in the coming months, is expected to grow numerous crops including lettuce, tomatoes and various microgreens initially, with the company expressing its hopes to expand into fruits and berries. According to the company's CEO Ciara Foster, the decision to construct the facility came amidst a programme within the South Englia Agricultural Development Bank which saw the agency partially fund initiatives aimed at enhancing South Englia's agribusiness sector. Nostromo founded the company in 5210 with her roommates Ciara Foster and Hailey Lally after the trio completed their Bachelors in Agriculture at the University of South Englia. Foster noted that the company had been created with the vision of "transforming the agribusiness sector of New Englia" as she lamented the "archaic" and "backwards" practices of established agribusiness firms. With technical assistance, specifically in the area of research from the South Englia Agricultural Research and Development Institute, the company identified vertical farming as an area of interest, recognising that it had been a practice that although present in more advanced economies, was non-existent in the developing/emerging economies of Dovani. "We initially entered the SEADB's financing programme with the intention of accessing financing for a mariculture project, however through various presentations from SEARDI we were encouraged to pursue vertical farming instead as the SEADB would provide more financing and support for a high-impact, yet cost-effective venture," Foster explained. Currently, the company is in talks with local authorities as it works out the complex's water supply as well as addresses local concerns over the complex's electricity use. Although vertical farming is said to use less water, compared to other agriculture techniques, these complexes tend to be major energy consumers. To that extent, Foster has stated that the company is looking to build its own microgrid whereby the complex will be self-sustaining as it relates to energy as much of its electricity would come from solar panels installed on the roof and throughout the various structures expected to be built in support of the complex including a rainwater harvesting system. Amidst Nostromo's success, numerous other firms have lined up for funding and support from the SEADB and SEARDI in pursuit of both making their mark on the agribusiness sector on South Englia and contributing to reducing New Englia's food import bill.

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Having stated that its future intentions for the New Englian Defence Force are based on expeditionary warfare, earlier this morning at the Department of Defence building in Lonmouth, Chief of the Defence Staff General Edward O'Carolan and Chief of the General Staff Lt.General Josh Davis announced that the NEDF will develop its rapid reaction force, thus allowing for the nation to respond to scenarios/situations at the nation's borders within a shorter space of time. The decision comes amidst concerns from within the top brass of the NEDF, that within its current state, the Army would not be able to mobilise in time to respond to emerging situations on the nation's borders within a reasonable timeframe. According to preliminary estimates from the Department of Defence, the time it takes for an entire Division (10,000) of troops to mobilise is around two weeks to a month. Defence policy commentators within the public domain note that should a situation arise on the nation's borders that require the involvement of the military, its lacklustre mobilisation speed and general logistical strategy will continue to hinder a faster response time. According to officials within the Department of Defence, the new quick reaction force (QRF) to be developed is expected to integrate elements of the Army and Airborne. New Englia's airborne capabilities are but a shell of its former self. Amidst centuries of general mismanagement and neglect, the hardware, tactics and strategies used by the nation's remaining airborne/paratrooper forces have become extremely obsolete, thus rendering its ability to become involved in expeditionary operations useless. Having regard to the unique challenges of jump-starting activity within the NEDF and rebuilding much of the Defence Forces' strength from scratch, Lt.General Davis noted that the quick reaction force will be one of the first new battle formations of the modern NEDF. Thus, similar to other new and emerging units, it will be integrated with new pieces of equipment including new camouflage (as the armed forces are moving away from Disruptive Pattern Material - DPM), new rifles including the NER85A4, a modernised variant of the LR85 series of rifles used in the Luthorian and Rutanian Armed Forces and new airborne reconnaissance vehicles including the Jackal and Scimitar.

Lt.General Davis stated that in the coming months, once the troop formations for this new quick reaction force are completed, the real work begins: training. Aside from paratroopers learning modern airborne tactics and army infantrymen learning modern infantry tactics, the General notes that interoperability (the ability to work together regardless of tactical/operational differences) will be one of the most challenging aspects of the quick reaction force. "We are aiming for this quick reaction force to be able to deploy throughout the nation or potentially outside of the nation on a moment's notice, thus it is becoming increasingly clear that cooperation especially in terms of fusing the tactics and strategies of airborne and infantry is going to be a centre-piece in making such a union work." Lt. General Davis explained. Although considerable attention is being placed on the formation of this 900-strong quick reaction force, General O'Carolan noted that a similar degree of attention was being placed on regular troop formations. Speaking briefly on his plans for the future of regular infantry formations, General O'Carolan stated that a slimming of the New Englian Army, Air Guard and Naval Service was underway. Redundant formations were either being disbanded or restructured and integrated into new, smaller formations. Among smaller troop formations, the General spoke to future equipment purchases including aircraft for the air force, combatant vessels for the navy and other equipment for the army. On the army, he stated that he had been in deep consultations with the Department of Defence, particularly the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) of the Department of Defence on future equipment purchases for the army.

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Earlier this morning at a press conference at the Department of Defence building in Lonmouth, Secretary of State for Defence Pippa O'Reilly announced that following the department's vigorous internal procurement process, it had ultimately decided to award the contract to replace the NEDF's ageing fleet of transport/utility helicopters to Atmos Helicopters. The announcement came amidst concerns from those within the defence fraternity that the government had lapsed on its commitment to modernise the NEDF. With the unveiling of the Forces 5300 plan, the central government committed to modernising the NEDF to ensure greater operational effectiveness. Among those proposals for consideration was the upgrade of the NEDF's fleet of helicopters. With the New Englian Army having formed an Army Aviation Corps, primarily composed of ageing helicopters from the Air Guard, requests for proposals were sent out by the DoD to replace the fleet of Gazelle helicopters, with something which would fit the need of the New Englian Army, recognising the new role it is set to take once the reforms to the NEDF are complete. Of the numerous contractors involved in the bidding process, Atomos Helicopters and the Lewis Helicopter Company were reportedly the most promising as the two companies were primarily locally-run firms, as one of the stipulations of the tendering process was that the company would be able to manufacture domestically. Atmos Helicopters won the bidding round with the AH-103 Bobcat, an upgraded version of the AH-94 Meerkat utility helicopter which saw service in the armies of Rutania and Luthori. "The Bobcat provides our soldiers with the utility of the Gazelle, granting them greater room for their equipment/kit and allowing for more soldiers to be carried. It allows for battlefield reconnaissance with a new powerful camera which would allow for the helicopters to work in tandem with ground forces in a potential impromptu CAS/Reconnaissance role." a senior officer familiar with the procurement process said. The procurement contract is the largest since the formation of the NEDF and would see some 75 Bobcat helicopters being built and integrated to form the future of the New Englian Army Air Corps, at a cost of 3 billion NEP. General Commanding Officer (GOC) of the Army Air Corps Major-General James Dean stated that once the helicopters have been integrated in the Air Corps, they will become the virtue workhorses of the Army's Quick Reaction Force, the Paratrooper Corps and would provide enhanced utility services to ground forces. According to Secretary O'Reilly, the DoD had already begun the process to serve for potential proposals for heavy lift capabilities for the Air Corps, noting that in potential foreign/regional deployment, the government cannot expect light-to-medium lift helicopters to be able to lift heavy equipment and materials and move said materials across mountains or impassable areas.

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At a gathering of the leaders of the major community and savings banks in North Englia, First Minister Daithí O'Gallagher announced his intention to create a new agency within the province to promote economic development and enterprise. Known as the North Englian Development Bank, the new agency would leverage idle financing from private entities and the provincial government into major investments for economic development alongside aiding in enterprise development/growth throughout the province. "It is my strongest belief that there is a clear role for the government to play within the provincial economy. By becoming involved in the development/creation of new sectors of the economy, we secure the most benefit for the citizens of this province and thus solidify this province's future as a highly progressive, pragmatic and competitive one," the First Minister said to the gathering. Even though the bank has not gotten off to any semblance of full operation, the announcement has drawn the ire of numerous organisations including North Englia Conservative Party. In a statement issued following the First Minister's announcement, the political leader of the NECP Paul O'Mara lambasted the proposal, stating that the provincial government had no role to play in the local economy other than providing an enabling environment for enterprise development. "Whenever the government becomes involved in the market, free-market enterprise collapses thereafter. By attempting to take tax-payer money and placing it into this "development bank", the First Minister and the Finance Secretary are creeping towards the sort of policies which will cause economic ruin and hardship for many. Instead of potentially disrupting the flow of the free market, the provincial government should be creating an environment which enables enterprise development." O'Mara said in his statement. According to Provincial Finance Secretary Nadia MacGannon, the NEDB would be primarily confined to providing financing and technical advice to small and medium-sized enterprises operating within the province. "When we talk about becoming more involved in the provincial economy, we do not mean by actively competing with established or potentially new companies, but becoming a proponent for their growth. We want to ensure that the sectors identified in our long-term strategy for economic development: manufacturing and heavy industry; receive the much-needed attention and assistance they require to become major contributors to not only provincial economic growth but also national economic growth." Secretary MacGannon said when asked about her response to O'Mara's statement. According to the Secretary, the bank's board would capture a broad cross-section of the North Englian economy. "For the board of governors, we envision a representative from the provincial banking association, a representative from the provincial chamber of commerce and industry, a representative from the provincial government and a representative for civil society," Secretary MacGannon explained. To manage the general operations of the NEDB, the First Minister has announced the appointment of former NEBC Regional Director for North Englia, Eoin MacCartan as the NEDB's Interim President. In a brief statement MacCartan revealed that the provincial government has provided the bank with a 100 million NEP injection to begin its operations, with negotiations set to begin towards encouraging local community and savings banks to leverage their idle financing into the NEDB.

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Following a long and tumultuous nomination and vetting process, the Department of Home Affairs has approved the appointment of Douglas Pearce as the new commissioner of PSNE, ending months of uncertainty on the future of the service and the nation's fight against crime and criminality. Pearce, the former head of the PSNE's Counter-Terrorism Command enters the portfolio at a time where pressure is mounting on the service to enhance its efforts towards reducing crime throughout the country amidst a bloody and brutal gang war between the nation's leading criminal organisations: the O'Lynn Band and the Bryne Gang. Pearce secured the position against Head of Territorial Policing Toby O'Dolan and Head of Professional Standards Pippa Burns. Although the interview process responsible for the appointment of new commissioners is often a closed-door affair, leaked details of the numerous interview conducted by the nomination found that when compared to the other candidates, Pearce demonstrated a clear understanding on the needs of the service and reportedly outlined a detailed plan towards addressing the nation's crime plan, which reportedly entails the creation of new departments, an increase in the number of officers in the service and better equipment for crime-fighting. Pearce succeeds Filip Bodkin who resigned amidst public outcry after a string of murders against children and women prompted mass protests against the service's inability to address the issue of crime. At a joint press conference alongside the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, Commissioner Pearce outlined his plans for rebuilding trust in PSNE. "It is clear that amidst the performance of the service, the public is simply not satisfied with its course of action and therefore a shift in both tone and direction is required. As we continue to enhance our effort for the crime fight, the PSNE must become a tech-savvy police service and must utilise all legal means of ensuring crime and criminality is stomped out of the nation. It is my intention to have frequent meetings with the First Ministers to discuss what is working and what isn't in the provinces. There will not be a singular way in which we conduct ourselves throughout the provinces as each province has differing challenges and needs. What is good for North Englia may not be for Dunnard or South Englia." Commissioner Pearce said. Secretary of State for Home Affairs Victor MacGrath stated that the Department of Home Affairs intends on increasing the budget allocation for PSNE and the nation's intelligence community, as Commissioner Pearce requested funds for increased marksmanship, forensics and intelligence gathering training for PSNE officers. Commissioner Pearce stated that the PSNE would enhance its relationship with SCOCA to bring down both the O'Lynn and Bryne criminal organisations, with room for enhanced cooperation with NESIS on matters related to counter-terrorism.

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Although the undertaking has been described as one of the nation's most ambitious yet, a joint committee composed of representatives from the Lonmouth City Corporation, Dunnard Provincial Government and the New Englian Government have agreed to collaborate to transform the City of Lonmouth into a premier international financial centre, capable of competing with established financial hubs within the region, most notably Dalibor. The committee, known as the "Financial Services Sector Development Working Group", is the brainchild of Dunnard First Minister Peter O'Donnell, who envisioned the city of Lonmouth, the nation's capital as a major international financial centre dating back to his time as Lord Mayor. In a press conference at the Old Customs Building in Lonmouth, the committee announced a series of planned reforms aimed at ensuring Lonmouth can attain global financial centre status. Some of the reforms include the introduction of new regulations governing financial disclosures and the introduction of capital rules. Although the reforms have been dubbed as "meagre", they are expected to shape the very future of Lonmouth's dreams of becoming a global financial hub. The introduction of new regulations related to financial disclosures would ensure that although the city would advance rapidly into developing the sector, it continues to adhere to anti-money laundering rules and would thus set itself apart from Dalibor, which has become notorious for its bank secrecy laws. "We are attempting to build something honest here and thus our actions in themselves must be honest. We must ensure that although we focus on becoming a global financial centre, we do not become the darling of money launderers, tax evaders and others of the sort. Financial disclosures will become an important feature of our model for the very purpose of ensuring transparency," First Minister O'Donnell proclaimed. The city's dreams and aspirations in this sector are expected to be managed by the City of Lonmouth, with support from the Dunnard Provincial Government and the New Englian Government. The City of Lonmouth Corporation will become the principal administrative body responsible for the management of the financial sector within Lonmouth and will be juxtaposed with the city's existing administrative responsibilities of governing the Lonmouth Metropolitan Area (LMA). A new act of parliament will birth new positions within the City Corporation namely the City Steward, who as the city's treasurer will be responsible for managing the city's finances and act as a quasi-supervisor/overseer for the city in matters related to financial conduct within the Borough of Kinnard (the city's financial district) alongside agencies such as SCOCA and the Bank of New Englia. Lord Mayor of Lonmouth, Myrtle Dunnings stated that the city possessed numerous advantages which set it apart from previous attempts, namely support from the Dunnard Provincial Government (as Lonmouth is a special administrative region within the province) and the New Englian Government, access to a growing financial market in Dunnard, and unique positioning as a hub for foreign exchange moving into the region from Artania. "By running on this road we enter a highly competitive world. We are going up against established financial centres not only within the region but the wider globe, with some of these financial centres dating back to the days well before our nation's independence. It is my strongest belief that with continued support from the Dunnard and the central government, what we are building here can become a blueprint for many," Lord Mayor Dunnings proclaimed.

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Secretary of State for Economic Development and International Trade Dr Alison O’Connor signed onto a major medium-term natural gas agreement with the Dorvish Natural Resources Technical Management Corporation (NTVS) on the importation of natural gas, thus giving the central government the footing needed to begin its plans for the development of a vibrant downstream petrochemicals sector in New Englia. Set to be focused primarily in North Englia, the central government is expected to make a major announcement on its plans for the sector in the coming months as the final details surrounding the plan are still being negotiated between numerous stakeholders and interested parties. New Englia's downstream LNG dreams are hinged on the fractions/refined products of natural gas; from methanol to ammonia and urea, the New Englian government is aiming towards developing an extremely diverse natural gas-based economy alongside North Englia's established manufacturing and heavy industry sectors, albeit instead of underneath the gaze of the provincial government, the sector will primarily be managed via the central government. The agreement had been signed between officials from the Department of Economic Development and International Trade and the Dorvish Natural Resources Technical Management Corporation (NTVS) at a signing conference in Haldor, Dorvik. The agreement, made possible through numerous behind-closed-doors negotiations between the governments of New Englia and Dorvik, has been described as another significant milestone in New Englia's economic development journey. "We have been attempting to source a reliable supplier for a very long-time. For the most part, there are only a handful of nations with developed natural gas sectors. We attempted to get into contact with Brenstoff whom we know has made gigantic moves within recent history to develop Keymon's natural gas sector however amidst the government change there, much of our attempts were rendered futile." According to statements from Dorivsh officials, New Englia's dire situation had been brought to the attention of the Dorvish Government, through the nation's recently appointed Ambassador to Dorvik, Lord Alexander Inwood. In a brief statement following the signing of the agreement, the Department of Economic Development and International Trade highlighted that the agreement had been birthed out of informal discussions with the Dorvish Government following unsuccessful international tendering. Championing the agreement as a testimony to the potential cooperation which could arise out of continued engagement by the New Englian Government with the wider international community, Secretary O'Connor stated that the agreement was but the first of many strategic economic partnerships between New Englia and Dorvik. The agreement would see 18.7 bcm of LNG being imported from Dorvik. Whilst some economists and financial analysts note that the importation of natural gas in such volumes could present significant strain on the nation's foreign reserves, both Secretary of State for Finance and the Treasury Erica Miller and Secretary O'Connor noted that it would not trigger a current account deficit or a balance of payments crisis.

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The question of healthcare reform has been one which the central government, particularly the New Englian government has largely avoided for much of its time in power. Healthcare, aside from the economy and domestic security, remains one of the most contentious issues within the political domain, as throughout the numerous campaigning seasons during the previous elections, its importance has been underscored by waves of citizens expressing their concern for the fact that amidst the government's major pushes to reform the economy and other key parts of society, healthcare remained largely untouched. Some political analysts view the hesitancy by previous administrations to address the situation of healthcare keymon as one to be fueled primarily by the fear of damaging the social fabric of the nation, recognising the importance of the issue to citizens. One of the foremost proposals by successive governments has been a turn to privatise healthcare to reduce the issue's burden on the national economy. With a clear understanding of the importance of a transformational healthcare policy and a healthcare system capable of tremendous change, Prime Minister Darren Martin commissioned both a study and a cabinet-appointed committee to consider and report on the government's options for reform within the national healthcare sector. Earlier this morning at a press conference at the Cabinet Offices in Lonmouth, Chairman of the Healthcare Reform Committee and Professor of Health Administration at the University of Lonmouth Dr Donagh O'Boland unveiled the conclusion of the committee's work and the findings of the study. Speaking to the committee's work and the study on a joint standing, Dr O'Boland stated that both the committee and the study had come to the conclusion that although the privatisation of healthcare had its benefits in the area of cost and administrative expenses, the long-term outlook for privatised healthcare within New Englia was untenable. He drew examples of privatised healthcare systems throughout the known world, drawing inferences as to their long-term failures to address systemic problems and inadvertently add to mounting socioeconomic strain and inequality. Instead, Dr O'Boland stated that the government should remain with the current single-payer healthcare system, albeit with major changes in its structure and operations.

Concurrently, healthcare within New Englia is primarily governed by the government via a sub-department of the Department of Health and Aged Care. Unlike other territories, healthcare is not decentralised to counties/municipalities nor is the administration of healthcare separate from the crafting of national healthcare policy. The Healthcare Reform Committee recommended that the central government begin the process of decentralising healthcare to the provinces, separate/independent of government interference. Dr O'Boland notes that the administration of healthcare within New Englia remains open to political interference as it remains under the domain of the Department of Health and Aged Care. He stated that although the incumbent Secretary of State for Health and Aged Care Dr Caitlin Uí Muraíle has demonstrated her competence, he worries for the future when an opportunist cabinet secretary may begin to influence the quality and accessibility of healthcare by interfering in the administration of healthcare. "Similar to justice, there is a reason why the Secretary of State for Justice nor the Advocate-General does not play a role in the administration of justice. The room for political interference in the administration of healthcare is concerning." Dr O'Boland said. Adding detail to the committee's recommendation of decentralised healthcare, Dr O'Boland explained that in the case of decentralising healthcare to the provinces, although the New Englian Government would remove itself from the equation, retreating to its responsibility for the development of healthcare policy on a national level, the politics of provincial bodies could find itself slipping into the conversation in a similar manner, virtually replacing the potential interference of the central government in the administration of healthcare with provincial administrations. Dr O'Boland stated that he had preferred a system wherein the administration of healthcare was kept separate from the government as independent entities largely responsible for the administration of healthcare within a given geographical area. Coined Regional Healthcare Authorities, Dr O'Boland envisioned that said authorities will be responsible for the administration of healthcare, particularly as it pertains to the maintenance of hospital infrastructure, the salaries of staff, the maintenance of ambulances and other associated vehicles, the governing of local pharmacies. According to Dr O'Boland, the regional healthcare authorities would be self-sufficient, granted they be allowed to maintain their own budgets albeit with significant oversight from the provincial government and with the ability to invest a portion of its budget into a trust to aid in financing the authority's operations after an assessment by the provincial government.

Speaking at a press conference later in the afternoon, Secretary of State for Health and Aged Care Dr Caitlin Uí Muraíle stated that the central government intends on undergoing the process of reforming healthcare within New Englia with the proposals of the Healthcare Reform Committee in mind. According to the Secretary, the central government intends on pursuing the path of the regional health authorities as proposed by the committee. The Minister explained that the government plans on introducing an omnibus healthcare amendment to bring about the changes necessary to see the creation of Regional Health Authorities within New Englia. "The government proposes the creation of the North Englian, Dunnard and South Englian Regional Health Authority. As proposed by the committee, the regional health authorities will be responsible for the administration of healthcare in almost every aspect and due to the strong arguments made by Dr O'Boland and career hospital administrator and surgeon Dr Paddy O'Madden in favour of the regional health authorities being near financial independent, provisions are expected to be made for health trusts to be formed with oversight from a special committee of the provincial assemblies and portfolio reviews by their respective Departments of Finance and the Economy. Speaking on their general structure, according to Secretary Muraíle, the regional health authorities are to be governed by a board of directors and chairman, with operations being placed at the foot of the Director-General/CEO of the Health Authorities.

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Having been a key issue discussed on the campaign trail by the North Englia Labour Party during the previous election, the province's crippling affordable housing deficit has been in the spotlight in the past three weeks as the North Englian Assembly debated the "Affordable Housing Act, 5228". Introduced in the assembly by Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Community Development Coilean Ó Banáin, the bill sought to create a North Englian Housing Authority (NEHA) which, when operationalised will be wholly responsible for both financing and overseeing affordable housing throughout the province. The legislation represented a major bipartisan agreement among the political parties represented in the Assembly including the North Englian Cooperatives, the Farmers Union Party and the Greens, with support from the Conservatives and Nationalists being noticeably absent. During the piloting of the legislation, Secretary Banáin stated that the legislation would represent the first major action by any government entity, be it provincial and/or national, to address the issue of affordable housing in New Englia. He noted that around 35-45,000 persons were awaiting housing in the province, representing around 45% of those awaiting housing in New Englia. "North Englia is the epicentre of our nation's affordable housing crisis, to simply push the issue down the road to another administration would exacerbate the issue, making it more future for future generations to solve." The NEHA, according to the Secretary would work with local councils and housing firms to leverage the agency's financing powers towards boosting the province's housing stock. "Once this bill is passed, we intend to issue a multi-year bond which the NEHA will use to finance affordable housing projects which have stalled due to a lack of funding. It will work with local councils in providing them with the necessary technical advice and financing (should the need arise), and it will work with firms in a similar fashion alongside ensuring housing standards are adhered to." the Secretary explained. Three months ago the assembly passed the Housing Standards Act, the first of its kind in the country, with the hopes of enhancing the quality of homes being developed in the province. It mandates the housing units built following the bill's passage would include smoke detectors, and proper insulation alongside other features. The bill passed with support from the aforementioned parties (the Cooperatives, Farmers Union and Greens). The Conservatives and Nationalists voted against the bill calling it an affront to the province's free market traditions. Whilst work begins towards operationalising both the act and the agency, Secretary Banáin wasted no time in appointing the agency's executive leadership, with First Minister Daithí O'Gallagher handing Hunter MacMurrough, a veteran civil engineer, his letter of appointment as the NEHA's Director-General in a brief ceremony earlier this morning at the Government Offices in Malick.