Tughans Solicitors

Autumn Budget 2026: Key changes for individuals, employers and businesses

The Autumn Budget brings changes for individuals, employers and businesses across personal and business taxation, employment costs, investment and growth. While the measures will take effect over the coming months and years, they raise a number of considerations for businesses, employers and individuals when reviewing their existing arrangements and future plans. Below, we highlight some... Read More

Northern Ireland’s New High Court Practice Direction: What insurers need to know

A new Practice Direction governing personal injury and damage-only civil litigation in the Northern Ireland High Court came into effect on 13 October 2026. Practice Direction 4/2026 revokes and replaces the previous 2008 Practice Direction and Pre-Action Protocol, bringing the pre-action and litigation stages within a single framework. Importantly for insurers, its scope now expressly... Read More

People’s Power: Great British Energy’s £20 million Community Fund is now open in Northern Ireland, but not for long

On 17 September 2026, Great British Energy (GBE) launched its new £20 million GBE Community Fund (the Fund) to support community-owned clean energy projects in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Fund is the largest part of a wider £30 million package of “People’s Power” funding, which GBE describes as the first instalment of up... Read More

A5 Judgment: Court of Appeal sets a workable climate test for major infrastructure?

The Court of Appeal has upheld the Department for Infrastructure ’s (DfI’s) decision to proceed with the authorised sections of the A5 and clarified what section 52 of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 requires of departments. In Hassard and Others v Department for Infrastructure NICA 42, the Court of Appeal has allowed... Read More

Preserving Eligibility for REPG: Notice of Intention published by the Department for the Economy

On 15 October 2026, the Department for the Economy (DfE) published a Notice of Intention (Notice) in relation to the Renewable Electricity Price Guarantee (REPG). This is a positive step towards advancing renewable project development in Northern Ireland and towards the first REPG allocation round (AR1). The purpose of the Notice is for the DfE... Read More

Court of Appeal clarifies the limits of vicarious liability for independent contractors

Businesses routinely engage third-party contractors to provide services ranging from security and facilities management to logistics and maintenance. In Stephanus Bernardus Burger v Risk Solutions BG Limited & Anor EWCA Civ 804, the Court of Appeal considered whether a business can be held vicariously liable for the wrongful acts of individuals supplied by an... Read More

Wind, wildlife and the art of compensation: DAERA’s offshore wind consultation explained

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has recently opened a consultation on environmental compensatory measures for offshore wind projects in the Northern Ireland inshore region.   Proposed Amendment to Habitats Regulations It proposes amending the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 under Energy Act 2023 s.293 to enable wider and strategic... Read More

The sandwich generation: Caring for ageing parents while supporting adult children

This so-called ‘Sandwich generation’ refers to many people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who are balancing the increasingly difficult circumstances of having to support both their adult children and elderly parents, all whilst planning for and making provision for their own future and personal circumstances. One of the most common pressures facing this generation... Read More

Geothermal strategy in Northern Ireland: The emerging regulatory framework

The Department for the Economy (DfE) recently closed a consultation on proposals to introduce new legislation that would create a regulatory framework for geothermal developments in Northern Ireland (the Consultation). Geothermal heat refers to subsurface hot water that can be abstracted via borehole and piped into buildings to provide a low carbon heat source. Northern... Read More

AI in employment disputes: protecting legal privilege

The UK’s immigration tribunal has commented on the risk that documents covered by legal advice privilege could lose their privilege if uploaded into a generative AI tool. This decision raises several questions for employment tribunal litigation, with AI increasingly used by both sides in employment claims.   Legal professional privilege Legal professional privilege protects two... Read More