The hearing of the rulings in the Eastfjords (area 11) took place on 5 November and the Committee has finished deliberations on sixteen of the seventeen areas in which the land was divided and the mainland procedure has been completed. The last area that is being discussed are islands and skerries around the country and this work is currently underway.

Sigurður Ingi Jóhannesson has now appointed Magnús Jóhannesson as chair of the regional councils for the development of coastal planning in the East Fjords and West Fjords.

The proposal for a coastal area plan in the Eastfjords, which develops a policy for the exploitation and protection of the coastal areas of the Eastfjords, was advertised for public presentation in accordance with Article 12 of the Law on the Planning of the Sea and Coastal Regions no. 88/2018 and the presentation period of the proposal was from 15 June - 15 September.

The Chief Epidemiologist regularly publishes summaries of the prevalence of respiratory infections during the winter season. A dashboard with statistical information on respiratory infections this winter and previous winters is also planned for release.

In May, two papers were published by Hólmfríður Þóroddsdóttir, Fríða, who works here at the Communication Centre. Both papers were based on her Master’s degree from the University of Iceland and discussed the preparation of sign language interpreters for their assignments.

We are exploding from pride in the project Orð eru ævintýri, a new tool for enhancing literacy among preschool children. Last year, Orð eru ævintýri was published and given to children born in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Now we have improved and brought the book to all children born in 2021.

Land and Forest Iceland will provide grants to 418 farmers for land reclamation projects this year, covering approximately 3,800 hectares of land.

The sole remaining structure at the abandoned Víðidalur farm in the Fjöll region of Northeast Iceland succumbed to the recent storm on Wednesday. This corrugated iron-clad wooden building served as a temporary shelter for sheep during the autumn sheep-gathering season. Moving forward, a roofless enclosure will be utilised at the location instead. The debris from the collapsed structure has been largely cleared away, ensuring that any remaining building materials are secured against further dispersal.

On Wednesday March 20th, a workshop on “Safer Northwest” was held at the Blönduós community centre. All the main stakeholders in the project were involved in the preparation or conversation in one way or another, and HSN is among them.

The publication of the fourth volume of the High Court records and proceedings in Iceland will be celebrated on Law Day 2024, which will be held on Friday, September 27th, at Hilton Reykjavík Nordica.