Northern Ireland news headlines: Inflation drop, nurses and RNLI

NURSES AND MIDWIVES

The Nursing and Midwifery council has revealed "burn out and exhaustion" as two of the reasons given by those who have left the profession. However, it found the number of nurses and midwives in Northern Ireland has grown in the past year. The council says it's encouraging to see more professionals coming into the sector but retaining experienced nurses and midwives should also be an important focus.

INFLATION

Inflation has dropped to 8.7% - the first time below 10 percent in 8 months. That's according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. However, the fall does not mean prices will immediately come down.

NORTHERN IRELAND AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Meanwhile, discussions will be held later on how Northern Ireland plans to handle funding cuts within the health service and education sector as a result of the budget. Representatives from here will appear before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.

POVERTY

It comes as a poverty charity says they've seen a dramatic increase in the number of households that can't pay for essentials. 'Christians Against Poverty' say a third of their clients have had to borrow money to cover household bills over the past year.

RNLI

And a third of people don't know what to do if they get into difficulty in water according to new figures from the RNLI. The charity is launching a water safety campaign urging people to be cautious ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

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