API Reference

This page provides a comprehensive reference for all public APIs in the Bolster package. Documentation is automatically generated from source code docstrings.

Quick Links

bolster — Core bolster module: data processing, concurrency, and tree/dictionary utilities.

bolster.data_sources — Data sources: NISRA, PSNI, NI Water, EONI, Companies House, Met Office, and more.

bolster.utils — Utilities: AWS, Azure, web scraping, caching, and HTTP helpers.

bolster.cli — CLI commands for data retrieval and processing.

bolster

Bolster - A comprehensive Python utility library for Northern Ireland and UK data sources.

DATA SOURCES

Weather & Environment:

get-precipitation UK precipitation maps from Met Office
water-quality NI water quality by postcode/zone

Government & Politics:

ni-executive NI Executive historical data
ni-elections NI Assembly election results (2016-2022)
nisra NISRA statistics (deaths, births, population, economic indicators)
psni PSNI statistics (road traffic collisions)
daera DAERA statistics (municipal waste)

Business & Property:

companies-house UK Companies House data queries
ni-house-prices NI house price index data

Transport:

dva DVA monthly test statistics (vehicle, driver, theory)

Employment & Pay:

gender-pay-gap UK Gender Pay Gap reporting data (2017–present)

Entertainment & Lifestyle:

cinema-listings Cineworld movie showtimes

Utilities:

rss RSS/Atom feed reader with NISRA integration
list-sources Show all available data sources
--version

Show version information
--help

Show this help message

QUICK EXAMPLES

bolster water-quality BT1 5GS # Water quality for postcode bolster nisra deaths –latest # Latest NISRA deaths statistics bolster dva –latest –summary # DVA test statistics summary bolster rss nisra-statistics # Browse NISRA publications bolster ni-executive # NI Executive history bolster companies-house farset # Companies at Farset Labs bolster list-sources # Show all data sources bolster –version # Show version information

Note:: Use ‘bolster <command> –help’ for detailed command options

Usage

bolster [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Options

--version: Show the version and exit.

-v, --verbose: Enable verbose output

cinema-listings

Get current movie listings from Cineworld cinema.

Retrieves movie showtimes and information for a specific Cineworld location. Default location is Belfast (site code 117).

Examples:: bolster cinema-listings # Belfast, today bolster cinema-listings –site-code 105 # Different location bolster cinema-listings –date 2024-03-20 # Specific date

Usage

bolster cinema-listings [OPTIONS]

Options

--site-code <site_code>: Cineworld site code (default: 117 for Belfast)

--date <screening_date>: Screening date in YYYY-MM-DD format (default: today)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: json | table

companies-house

Query UK Companies House data for company information.

Search for companies by name or get information about companies that might be associated with Farset Labs (Belfast hackerspace).

Examples:: bolster companies-house “farset” # Search for companies with ‘farset’ bolster companies-house farset # Search without quotes bolster companies-house –format json # JSON output bolster companies-house –save companies.csv # Save results

Usage

bolster companies-house [OPTIONS] [QUERY]

Options

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: json | csv | table

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

Arguments

QUERY: Optional argument

daera

DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) statistics.

Commands for accessing Northern Ireland environmental and agricultural statistics published by DAERA.

Usage

bolster daera [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

waste

DAERA NI LAC Municipal Waste statistics.

Downloads the latest quarterly waste management time-series from DAERA, covering all NI council areas from 2006/07 onwards.

Examples: | bolster daera waste # All waste statistics | bolster daera waste –council Belfast # Filter by council | bolster daera waste –financial-year 2024/25 # Latest year | bolster daera waste –summary # Summary only | bolster daera waste –save waste.csv # Save to CSV

Usage

bolster daera waste [OPTIONS]

Options

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--council <council>: Filter by council area name (partial match)

--financial-year <financial_year>: Filter by financial year (e.g. 2024/25)

--summary: Show summary statistics only

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--format <output_format>

Output format

Options:: table | csv | json

dva

DVA (Driver & Vehicle Agency) Monthly Test Statistics.

Retrieves monthly test statistics from the NI Driver & Vehicle Agency including:

Vehicle tests (MOT-style tests)
Driver tests (practical driving tests)
Theory tests

Data available from April 2014 to present.

Examples:: bolster dva –latest # All test types bolster dva –latest –test-type vehicle # Just vehicle tests bolster dva –latest –year 2024 # Filter by year bolster dva –latest –summary # Quick summary dashboard bolster dva –latest –format json –save tests.json
Source:: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/type/statistics

Usage

bolster dva [OPTIONS]

Options

--latest: Get the most recent DVA data available

--test-type <test_type>

Type of test statistics to retrieve (default: all)

Options:: vehicle | driver | theory | all

--year <year>: Filter data by year

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: json | csv

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary dashboard only

education

Education statistics for Northern Ireland.

Access official education data from the Department of Education Northern Ireland (DE NI), including pupil suspension and expulsion statistics.

Usage

bolster education [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

suspensions

NI Pupil Suspensions and Expulsions (Department of Education).

b Annual suspension statistics for pupils of compulsory school age in Northern Ireland, covering 2011/12 to present.

Examples:

Full suspension time series:

bolster education suspensions

Filter to a single academic year:

bolster education suspensions --year 2023/24

Summary overview:

bolster education suspensions --summary

Save as CSV:

bolster education suspensions --save suspensions.csv

Source:

https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/pupil-suspensions-and-expulsions

Usage

bolster education suspensions [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Filter by academic year (e.g. ‘2023/24’)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics instead of full data

gender-pay-gap

UK Gender Pay Gap Reporting Data.

All UK employers with 250+ employees are required to report their gender pay gap annually. Data is available from 2017 to present.

Filter by postcode prefix to focus on a specific region — e.g. ‘BT’ for Northern Ireland, ‘EH’ for Edinburgh, ‘M’ for Manchester.

Examples:: bolster gender-pay-gap –postcode-prefix BT # NI employers, latest year bolster gender-pay-gap –year 2024 # All UK employers, 2024 bolster gender-pay-gap –all-years –postcode-prefix BT # NI trend data bolster gender-pay-gap –postcode-prefix BT –summary # NI summary stats bolster gender-pay-gap –year 2024 –format json –save gpg_2024.json
Source:: https://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/viewing/download

Usage

bolster gender-pay-gap [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Reporting year (e.g. 2024). Defaults to most recent available.

--all-years: Fetch and combine all available years (2017–present).

--postcode-prefix <postcode_prefix>: Filter to employers whose postcode starts with this prefix (e.g. ‘BT’ for NI, ‘EH’ for Edinburgh). Returns all UK employers if omitted.

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: json | csv

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics only

get-precipitation

Download UK precipitation data from the Met Office and save as an image.

This command retrieves precipitation map data from the UK Met Office API and saves it as a PNG image. Requires a Met Office API key and valid order name.

Environment Variables:

MET_OFFICE_API_KEY: Your Met Office API key (required) MAP_IMAGES_ORDER_NAME: Default order name for precipitation data (optional)

Examples:

# Download precipitation map for entire UK bolster get-precipitation –order-name “your-order-name”

# Download for specific region (Northern Ireland) bolster get-precipitation –bounding-box “-8.5,54.0,-5.0,55.5” –order-name “your-order-name”

# Save to custom filename bolster get-precipitation –output “ni_rain.png” –order-name “your-order-name”

Usage

bolster get-precipitation [OPTIONS]

Options

--bounding-box <bounding_box>: Geographic bounding box as ‘min_lon,min_lat,max_lon,max_lat’ (e.g., ‘-10.0,49.0,2.0,61.0’ for UK)

--order-name <order_name>: Met Office API order name for precipitation data (or set MAP_IMAGES_ORDER_NAME env var)

--output <output>: Output filename for the precipitation map image (default: precipitation.png)

list-sources

List all available data sources and their descriptions.

Shows a comprehensive overview of all data sources available in the Bolster library, organized by category with brief descriptions of what data each source provides.

Usage

bolster list-sources [OPTIONS]

ni-elections

Get Northern Ireland Assembly election results (2016-2022).

Retrieve detailed election results including candidates, parties, constituencies, and vote counts for NI Assembly elections.

Examples:: bolster ni-elections # All election results bolster ni-elections –election-year 2022 # 2022 results only bolster ni-elections –format json # JSON output bolster ni-elections –save elections.csv # Save to file

Usage

bolster ni-elections [OPTIONS]

Options

--election-year <election_year>

Filter by election year (default: all)

Options:: 2016 | 2017 | 2022 | all

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: json | csv | table

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

ni-executive

Get Northern Ireland Executive composition and dissolution data.

Retrieves historical data about NI Executive periods including establishment dates, dissolution dates, duration, and interregnum periods.

Examples:: bolster ni-executive # Display as table bolster ni-executive –format json # JSON output bolster ni-executive –save executive.csv # Save to CSV file

Usage

bolster ni-executive [OPTIONS]

Options

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: json | csv | table

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

ni-house-prices

Get Northern Ireland house price index data.

Downloads and processes the latest NI house price statistics from official sources, including price trends by property type, region, and time period.

Examples:: bolster ni-house-prices # Display as CSV bolster ni-house-prices –format json # JSON output bolster ni-house-prices –save prices.csv # Save to file

Usage

bolster ni-house-prices [OPTIONS]

Options

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: json | csv

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

nisra

NISRA (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) data sources.

Access official statistics and research publications from NISRA including: - Weekly death registrations with demographic breakdowns - Labour market statistics (employment, economic inactivity) - Economic indicators (Index of Production, Index of Services, Construction Output, Composite Index) - Population estimates, births, marriages, migration - Tourism (accommodation occupancy, visitor statistics) - Cancer and emergency care waiting times

All data is sourced directly from NISRA publications and cached locally for performance. Use –force-refresh to bypass cache and download fresh data.

Usage

bolster nisra [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

ashe

NISRA Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) - Employee Earnings Statistics.

Annual survey measuring employee earnings in Northern Ireland across multiple dimensions including employment type, sector, geography, occupation, and industry. Data from April of each year, published in October.

Args:

metric: Type of earnings metric (weekly, hourly, or annual) dimension: Data dimension (timeseries, geography, sector, real-earnings, real-earnings-change, real-earnings-index, occupation-change, industry-change, pay-distribution, pay-distribution-by-classification) basis: Geographic basis (workplace or residence, for geography dimension only) year: Filter data for specific year output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename) growth: Include year-on-year growth rates (timeseries only)

Examples:

Get weekly earnings timeseries (1997-2025):

bolster nisra ashe

Get hourly earnings timeseries:

bolster nisra ashe --metric hourly

Get annual earnings timeseries:

bolster nisra ashe --metric annual

Get geographic earnings by workplace:

bolster nisra ashe --dimension geography

Get geographic earnings by residence:

bolster nisra ashe --dimension geography --basis residence

Get public vs private sector comparison:

bolster nisra ashe --dimension sector

Include year-on-year growth rates:

bolster nisra ashe --growth

Filter for specific year:

bolster nisra ashe --year 2025

Save to file:

bolster nisra ashe --save earnings.csv --format csv

Data Notes:

Coverage: April 1997 - 2025 (annual, timeseries)
Annual earnings: 1999 - 2025
Sector breakdown: 2005 - 2025
Reference period: April of each year
Published: October each year
Base: Employee jobs in Northern Ireland (not self-employed)

Metrics:

weekly: Median gross weekly earnings (£)
hourly: Median hourly earnings excluding overtime (£)
annual: Median annual earnings (£)

Dimensions:

timeseries: Historical trends by work pattern (Full-time/Part-time/All)
geography: Earnings by 11 Local Government Districts
sector: Public vs Private sector comparison (NI & UK)

Returns:

DataFrame with different columns depending on dimension:

Timeseries:

year: Year
work_pattern: Full-time, Part-time, or All
median_*_earnings: Median earnings (£)
earnings_yoy_growth: YoY % change (if –growth specified)

Geography:

year: Year
lgd: Local Government District name
basis: workplace or residence
median_weekly_earnings: Median weekly earnings (£)

Sector:

year: Year
location: Northern Ireland or United Kingdom
sector: Public or Private
median_weekly_earnings: Median weekly earnings (£)

Note:

Source: NISRA Economic & Labour Market Statistics Branch https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/work-pay-and-benefits/annual-survey-hours-and-earnings

Usage

bolster nisra ashe [OPTIONS]

Options

--metric <metric>

Type of earnings metric (default: weekly)

Options:: weekly | hourly | annual

--dimension <dimension>

Data dimension to retrieve

Options:: timeseries | geography | sector | real-earnings | real-earnings-change | real-earnings-index | occupation-change | industry-change | pay-distribution | pay-distribution-by-classification

--basis <basis>

Geographic basis (for geography dimension only)

Options:: workplace | residence

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--growth: Include year-on-year growth rates (timeseries only)

baby-names

NISRA Baby Names for Northern Ireland (1997 to present).

b Full historical list of all first forenames given to babies registered in Northern Ireland, with annual rank and count for every name by sex.

Examples:

Top 10 boys’ names in 2024:

bolster nisra baby-names --year 2024 --sex Boys --top 10

All names for 2023 saved to file:

bolster nisra baby-names --year 2023 --save baby_names_2023.csv

Full dataset as JSON:

bolster nisra baby-names --format json

Source:

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/births/baby-names

Usage

bolster nisra baby-names [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Filter by registration year

--sex <sex>

Filter by sex (default: both)

Options:: Boys | Girls | both

--top <top_n>: Show only top N names by rank

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

births

NISRA Monthly Birth Registrations Statistics.

Retrieves monthly birth registration data for Northern Ireland including: - Births by month of registration (when officially registered) - Births by month of occurrence (when actually born) - Breakdown by sex (Persons, Male, Female)

Birth registration data are based on mother’s residence at time of birth. Most births are registered within 42 days in Northern Ireland.

Examples:

Get latest births by registration date:

bolster nisra births --event-type registration

Get latest births by occurrence (actual birth date):

bolster nisra births --event-type occurrence

Get both registration and occurrence data:

bolster nisra births --event-type both

Save registration data to file:

bolster nisra births --event-type registration --save births_reg.csv

Get data as JSON:

bolster nisra births --event-type both --format json

Force refresh cached data:

bolster nisra births --force-refresh

Notes:

Monthly time series from 2006 to present
Final data for years up to and including 2024
Provisional and subject to change for current year
Registration data lags occurrence data by ~1-2 months
COVID-19 Note: April-May 2020 registration data disrupted by lockdown (registration offices closed), but occurrence data remains normal

Event Types

registration: Births by month they were officially registered • Reflects administrative processing dates • Can be affected by office closures (e.g., COVID-19) • Latest data may be 1-2 months more recent than occurrence
occurrence: Births by month they actually occurred • Reflects actual birth dates • More stable measure of birth patterns • Limited to births already registered
both: Returns both registration and occurrence data • Useful for comparing registration patterns vs birth patterns • Helps identify registration delays/backlogs

Returns:

DataFrame

month: First day of month (datetime)
sex: Persons (total), Male, or Female
births: Number of births

Source

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/births-deaths-and-marriages/births

Usage

bolster nisra births [OPTIONS]

Options

--event-type <event_type>

Event type: registration (when registered), occurrence (when born), or both (default: both)

Options:: registration | occurrence | both

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

cancer-waiting-times

NISRA Cancer Waiting Times Statistics.

Retrieves cancer waiting times performance data for Northern Ireland from the Department of Health, tracking progress against ministerial targets.

Targets: 14-day (urgent breast referrals), 31-day (decision to treat), 62-day (urgent GP referral), referrals (monthly breast volumes). Dimensions: trust (HSC Trust breakdown) or tumour (tumour site breakdown).

Examples:

bolster nisra cancer-waiting-times
bolster nisra cancer-waiting-times --target 62-day --dimension tumour
bolster nisra cancer-waiting-times --target 14-day
bolster nisra cancer-waiting-times --year 2024 --summary
bolster nisra cancer-waiting-times --save cancer.csv

Key insights (as of 2025): 31-day target NI at ~90%; 62-day collapsed to ~32%; 14-day breast dropped from 77% (2020) to 17% (2025). Data from Q1 2008 to present.

Source: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/cancer-waiting-times

Usage

bolster nisra cancer-waiting-times [OPTIONS]

Options

--target <target>

Waiting time target to retrieve (default: 31-day)

Options:: 14-day | 31-day | 62-day | referrals

--dimension <dimension>

Data dimension: by HSC Trust or by Tumour Site (default: trust)

Options:: trust | tumour

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show NI-wide summary instead of raw data

civil-partnerships

NISRA Monthly Civil Partnership Registrations Statistics.

Retrieves monthly civil partnership registration data for Northern Ireland.

Civil partnerships became legal in Northern Ireland in December 2005. The data is published monthly with provisional figures for the current year and final figures for previous years.

Examples:

Get latest civil partnerships data:

bolster nisra civil-partnerships --latest

Filter for a specific year:

bolster nisra civil-partnerships --latest --year 2024

Show annual summary:

bolster nisra civil-partnerships --latest --summary

Save to file:

bolster nisra civil-partnerships --latest --save civil_partnerships.csv

Data Notes:

Monthly time series from 2006 to present
Typically 80-120 civil partnerships per year
Numbers generally lower than marriages (5-10 per month average)
COVID-19 Note: 2020-2021 shows reduced registrations

Returns:

DataFrame with columns:

date: First day of month (datetime)
year: Year of registration
month: Month name
civil_partnerships: Number of civil partnership registrations

Note:

Source: https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/births-deaths-and-marriages/civil-partnerships

Usage

bolster nisra civil-partnerships [OPTIONS]

Options

--latest: Get the most recent civil partnerships data

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics only

claimant-count

NISRA Claimant Count statistics (UC + JSA).

b Monthly experimental statistics measuring the number of people claiming Universal Credit (UC) or Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) principally for the reason of being unemployed. Data covers Northern Ireland with multiple geographic and demographic breakdowns.

Breakdowns available:

headline NI total by sex, seasonally adjusted + non-SA (from 1997) age NI total by age band: 16-24, 25-49, 50+ (from 2013) lgd 11 Local Government Districts (current month snapshot) pca 18 Parliamentary Constituency Areas (current month snapshot) ttwa 10 Travel-to-Work Areas (current month snapshot)

Examples:

Show latest headline claimant count in a table:

bolster nisra claimant-count

Show age breakdown as CSV:

bolster nisra claimant-count --breakdown age --format csv

Save LGD data to file:

bolster nisra claimant-count --breakdown lgd --save lgd.csv

Export PCA data as JSON:

bolster nisra claimant-count --breakdown pca --format json --save pca.json

Source:

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/labour-market-and-social-welfare/claimant-count

Usage

bolster nisra claimant-count [OPTIONS]

Options

--breakdown <breakdown>

Data breakdown to retrieve (default: headline)

Options:: headline | age | lgd | pca | ttwa

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: table | csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

composite-index

NISRA Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index (NICEI) - Experimental Economic Indicator.

Quarterly measure of NI economic performance tracking five key sectors: Services, Production, Construction, Agriculture, and Public Sector. Base period 2022=100, quarterly data from Q1 2006 to present.

Args:

dimension: Which dimension to retrieve (indices, contributions, or all) table_deprecated: Deprecated alias for –dimension (use –dimension instead) year: Filter data for specific year quarter: Filter data for specific quarter (1-4) output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename)

Examples:

Get latest NICEI indices:

bolster nisra composite-index

Get sector contributions to quarterly change:

bolster nisra composite-index --dimension contributions

Get all dimensions:

bolster nisra composite-index --dimension all

Filter for specific year:

bolster nisra composite-index --year 2024

Get specific quarter:

bolster nisra composite-index --year 2025 --quarter 2

Save to file:

bolster nisra composite-index --save nicei.csv

Data Notes:

Coverage: Q1 2006 - Q2 2025 (quarterly)
Base period: 2022 = 100
Experimental statistic subject to revision
Published ~3 months after quarter end
Not seasonally adjusted

Tables:

indices: NICEI and component indices by quarter (Table 1)

Overall NICEI, private/public sector breakdowns
Sectoral indices: Services, Production, Construction, Agriculture
Quarterly time series from Q1 2006

contributions: Sector contributions to quarterly change (Table 11)

How much each sector contributed to NICEI quarterly change
Percentage point contributions
Identifies main drivers of economic growth/decline

all: All available tables

Returns:

DataFrame with columns varying by table type:

date: Quarter start date
quarter: Quarter (Q1-Q4)
year: Year
Various index/contribution columns depending on table

Note:

Source: NISRA Economic & Labour Market Statistics Branch https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/economic-output-statistics/ni-composite-economic-index

Usage

bolster nisra composite-index [OPTIONS]

Options

--dimension <dimension>

Which dimension to retrieve (default: indices)

Options:: indices | contributions | all

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--quarter <quarter>: Filter data for specific quarter (1-4)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

construction-output

NISRA Construction Output Statistics - Quarterly Economic Indicator.

Measures volume and value of construction output in Northern Ireland across all work, new work, and repair & maintenance. Chained volume measure data (base year 2022=100) from Q2 2000 to present.

Args:

year: Filter data for specific year quarter: Filter data for specific quarter (e.g., ‘Q1’, ‘Q2’) start_year: Start year for summary statistics end_year: End year for summary statistics output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename) summary: Show summary statistics only growth: Include year-on-year growth rates

Examples:

Get all Construction Output data:

bolster nisra construction-output

Filter for specific year:

bolster nisra construction-output --year 2024

Get specific quarter:

bolster nisra construction-output --year 2025 --quarter Q2

Show summary statistics for 2020-2025:

bolster nisra construction-output --start-year 2020 --summary

Include year-on-year growth rates:

bolster nisra construction-output --growth

Save to file:

bolster nisra construction-output --save construction.csv

Data Notes:

Coverage: Q2 2000 - Q2 2025 (quarterly)
Base year: 2022 = 100 (chained volume measure)
All Work: Non-seasonally adjusted (NSA)
New Work: Non-seasonally adjusted (NSA)
Repair & Maintenance: Seasonally adjusted (SA)
Published ~3 months after quarter end

Returns:

DataFrame with columns:

date: First day of quarter
quarter: Quarter code (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
year: Year
all_work_index: Total construction output index (NSA)
new_work_index: New construction work index (NSA)
repair_maintenance_index: Repair & maintenance index (SA)
*_yoy_growth: YoY % change (if –growth specified)

Note:

Source: NISRA Economic & Labour Market Statistics Branch https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/economic-output/construction-output-statistics

Usage

bolster nisra construction-output [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--quarter <quarter>: Filter data for specific quarter (e.g., ‘Q1’, ‘Q2’)

--start-year <start_year>: Start year for summary statistics

--end-year <end_year>: End year for summary statistics

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics only

--growth: Include year-on-year growth rates

deaths

NISRA Weekly Deaths Statistics.

Retrieves weekly death registrations in Northern Ireland with breakdowns by: - Totals (COVID-19 deaths, flu/pneumonia deaths, excess deaths) - Demographics (age, sex) - Geography (Local Government Districts) - Place of death (hospital, home, care home, etc.)

Examples:

Get COVID-19 and flu/pneumonia deaths:

bolster nisra deaths --dimension totals

Get latest demographics breakdown as CSV:

bolster nisra deaths --dimension demographics

Get all dimensions as JSON:

bolster nisra deaths --dimension all --format json

Save totals data to analyze COVID trends:

bolster nisra deaths --dimension totals --save deaths_totals.csv

Force refresh cached data:

bolster nisra deaths --force-refresh

Notes:

Based on registration date, not death occurrence date
Most deaths registered within 5 days in Northern Ireland
Weekly files are provisional and subject to revision
Dimensions are NOT cross-tabulated in source data
COVID-19/flu deaths are NOT broken down by age/sex in source
Excess deaths calculated using multiple methodologies

Dimensions

totals: Weekly totals with COVID-19, flu/pneumonia, excess deaths
demographics: Age and sex breakdown (Total/Male/Female × age ranges)
geography: Local Government Districts (11 LGDs)
place: Place of death (Hospital, Home, Care Home, Hospice, Other)
all: All dimensions (returns separate tables)

Source

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/death-statistics/weekly-death-registrations-northern-ireland

Usage

bolster nisra deaths [OPTIONS]

Options

--dimension <dimension>

Which dimension to retrieve (default: all)

Options:: totals | demographics | geography | place | all

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

disease-prevalence

NI Raw Disease Prevalence Statistics (Department of Health).

b Annual disease register sizes and prevalence per 1,000 patients for Northern Ireland, covering 2004/05 to the most recently published year. Data originate from GP clinical disease registers (QOF).

Examples:

Full NI disease prevalence time series:

bolster nisra disease-prevalence

Filter to hypertension register:

bolster nisra disease-prevalence --register hypertension

GP-practice-level data for Belfast LCG:

bolster nisra disease-prevalence --level gp --lcg Belfast

Export GP data as CSV:

bolster nisra disease-prevalence --level gp --format csv --save gp.csv

Latest data as JSON:

bolster nisra disease-prevalence --format json

Source:

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/prevalence-statistics

Usage

bolster nisra disease-prevalence [OPTIONS]

Options

--register <register>: Filter by register name (case-insensitive substring match)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: table | csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--level <level>

Data level: ‘ni’ for NI-level summary, ‘gp’ for GP-practice-level data

Default:: 'ni'
Options:: ni | gp

--lcg <lcg>: Filter by LCG name (only applies with –level gp)

elective-waiting-times

NISRA Elective/Outpatient Waiting Times Statistics.

b Two quarterly series from the Department of Health NI:

inpatient_day_case Patients waiting for inpatient/day case admission,
by weeks-waited band, specialty, and HSC Trust. Data from Q1 2007-08 (June 2007) to present.

outpatient Referrals waiting for an outpatient appointment,
by weeks-waited band, specialty, and HSC Trust. Data from Q1 2008-09 (June 2008) to present.

b HSC Trusts: Belfast, Northern, South Eastern, Southern, Western

b Examples:

bolster nisra elective-waiting-times
bolster nisra elective-waiting-times --type outpatient
bolster nisra elective-waiting-times --trust Belfast --year 2024
bolster nisra elective-waiting-times --type inpatient_day_case --save inpatient.csv
bolster nisra elective-waiting-times --format json

b Key insights (as of 2025): over 400,000 outpatient referrals waiting; median outpatient wait exceeding 43 weeks; inpatient waits exceeding 104 weeks visible across multiple specialties and trusts.

b Sources:

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/inpatient-waiting-times https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/outpatient-waiting-times

Usage

bolster nisra elective-waiting-times [OPTIONS]

Options

--type <waiting_type>

Series to retrieve: all (default), inpatient_day_case, or outpatient

Options:: all | inpatient_day_case | outpatient

--trust <trust>: Filter by HSC Trust name (e.g. Belfast)

--year <year>: Filter data for a specific calendar year

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save output to file (specify filename)

emergency-care

NISRA Emergency Care Waiting Times Statistics.

Monthly A&E performance data for Northern Ireland measuring the 4-hour target (95% of attendances seen, treated, admitted or discharged within 4 hours). Data by hospital department and HSC Trust, April 2008 to present.

Attendance Types:: Type 1 - Major A&E departments (full A&E) Type 2 - Single specialty emergency departments Type 3 - Minor injury units and urgent treatment centres
HSC Trusts:: Belfast, Northern, South Eastern, Southern, Western

Examples:

Get all data as CSV:

bolster nisra emergency-care

Get Type 1 performance for Belfast Trust:

bolster nisra emergency-care --type 1 --trust Belfast

Get 2024 data as JSON:

bolster nisra emergency-care --year 2024 --format json

Save to file:

bolster nisra emergency-care --save emergency.csv

Key Insights (as of 2026)

4-hour target (95%): NI performance has declined significantly since 2008
Type 1 performance well below target; Type 3 minor injury units perform best
Belfast RVH and Altnagelvin consistently the busiest Type 1 sites

Source

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/emergency-care-waiting-times

Usage

bolster nisra emergency-care [OPTIONS]

Options

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: table | csv | json

--trust <trust>: Filter by HSC Trust name (e.g. Belfast)

--type <attendance_type>

Filter by attendance type (1=major A&E, 2=single specialty, 3=MIU/UTC)

Options:: 1 | 2 | 3

--year <year>: Filter data for a specific calendar year

--save <save>: Save output to file (specify filename)

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

feed

Show recent NISRA publications from RSS feed.

Useful for discovering new datasets and checking for updates.

Examples:

bolster nisra feed # Recent 20 publications

bolster nisra feed -n 50 # More entries

bolster nisra feed -f tourism # Filter by title

bolster nisra feed –days 7 # Last week only

bolster nisra feed –check-coverage # Show implementation status

Usage

bolster nisra feed [OPTIONS]

Options

-n, --limit <limit>: Number of entries to show (default: 20)

-f, --filter <title_filter>: Filter entries by title (case-insensitive)

-d, --days <days>: Show entries from last N days

--check-coverage: Show which datasets have modules implemented

index-of-production

NISRA Index of Production (IOP) - Quarterly Economic Indicator.

Measures output in Northern Ireland’s production industries, including manufacturing, mining, and utilities. Seasonally adjusted quarterly data from Q1 2005 to present.

Args:

year: Filter data for specific year quarter: Filter data for specific quarter (e.g., ‘Q1’, ‘Q2’) start_year: Start year for summary statistics end_year: End year for summary statistics output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename) summary: Show summary statistics only growth: Include year-on-year growth rates

Examples:

Get all Index of Production data:

bolster nisra index-of-production

Filter for specific year:

bolster nisra index-of-production --year 2024

Get specific quarter:

bolster nisra index-of-production --year 2025 --quarter Q3

Show summary statistics:

bolster nisra index-of-production --start-year 2020 --summary

Include growth rates:

bolster nisra index-of-production --growth

Save as JSON:

bolster nisra index-of-production --format json --save iop.json

Data Notes:

Coverage: Q1 2005 - Q3 2025 (quarterly)
Seasonally adjusted values
Index values (100 = base period)
Includes NI and UK comparator data
Production industries have faced long-term challenges

Returns:

DataFrame with columns:

date: First day of quarter
quarter: Quarter code (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
year: Year
ni_index: Northern Ireland production index value
uk_index: UK production index value
ni_growth_rate: YoY % change (if –growth specified)
uk_growth_rate: YoY % change (if –growth specified)

Note:

Source: NISRA Economic & Labour Market Statistics Branch https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/economic-output/index-production

Usage

bolster nisra index-of-production [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--quarter <quarter>: Filter data for specific quarter (e.g., ‘Q1’, ‘Q2’)

--start-year <start_year>: Start year for summary statistics

--end-year <end_year>: End year for summary statistics

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics only

--growth: Include year-on-year growth rates

index-of-services

NISRA Index of Services (IOS) - Quarterly Economic Indicator.

Measures output in Northern Ireland’s services sector, including business services, wholesale/retail trade, transport, and other services. Seasonally adjusted quarterly data from Q1 2005 to present.

Args:

year: Filter by specific year quarter: Filter by specific quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) start_year: Start year for filtering end_year: End year for filtering output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename) summary: Show summary statistics only growth: Include year-on-year growth rates

Examples:

Get all Index of Services data:

bolster nisra index-of-services

Filter for specific year:

bolster nisra index-of-services --year 2024

Get specific quarter:

bolster nisra index-of-services --year 2025 --quarter Q3

Show summary statistics for 2020-2025:

bolster nisra index-of-services --start-year 2020 --summary

Include year-on-year growth rates:

bolster nisra index-of-services --growth

Save to file:

bolster nisra index-of-services --save ios.csv

Data Notes:

Coverage: Q1 2005 - Q3 2025 (quarterly)
Seasonally adjusted values
Index values (100 = base period)
Includes NI and UK comparator data
Published ~3 months after quarter end

Returns:

DataFrame with columns:

date: First day of quarter
quarter: Quarter code (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
year: Year
ni_index: Northern Ireland services index value
uk_index: UK services index value
ni_growth_rate: YoY % change (if –growth specified)
uk_growth_rate: YoY % change (if –growth specified)

Note:

Source: NISRA Economic & Labour Market Statistics Branch https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/economic-output/index-services

Usage

bolster nisra index-of-services [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--quarter <quarter>: Filter data for specific quarter (e.g., ‘Q1’, ‘Q2’)

--start-year <start_year>: Start year for summary statistics

--end-year <end_year>: End year for summary statistics

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics only

--growth: Include year-on-year growth rates

labour-market

NISRA Labour Force Survey Statistics.

Retrieves Labour Force Survey (LFS) data for Northern Ireland including: - Employment by age band and sex (quarterly) - Economic inactivity rates and numbers with historical time series (quarterly) - Employment by Local Government District (annual)

The LFS is a sample survey of households providing labour force statistics using internationally agreed concepts and definitions.

Examples:

Get latest employment data by age and sex:

bolster nisra labour-market --dimension employment

Get economic inactivity time series (2012-2025):

bolster nisra labour-market --dimension economic_inactivity

Get employment by Local Government District (annual):

bolster nisra labour-market --dimension lgd

Get all dimensions as JSON:

bolster nisra labour-market --dimension all --format json

Save employment data to analyze age distribution:

bolster nisra labour-market --dimension employment --save employment.csv

Force refresh cached data:

bolster nisra labour-market --force-refresh

Notes:

Survey data with sampling variability (see NISRA notes on confidence intervals)
Quarterly publications covering 3-month rolling periods
Some estimates based on small samples (indicated by shading in source)
Estimates <3 suppressed for disclosure control
Not seasonally adjusted
Working age: 16-64 for both males and females

Tables

employment: Employment by age band and sex (Table 2.15) • Percentage distribution across age groups • Total employment numbers by sex • Quarterly snapshot data
economic_inactivity: Economic inactivity by sex (Table 2.21) • Numbers economically inactive by sex • Economic inactivity rates (percentages) • Historical time series (2012-2025 for same quarter) • Allows year-over-year comparisons
lgd: Employment by Local Government District (Table 1.16a) • Employment statistics for all 11 NI LGDs • Population 16+, employment rates, economic activity • Annual data only (published separately)
all: All quarterly tables (excludes LGD annual data)

Definitions

Employed: Did ≥1 hour paid work in reference week, or has job temporarily away from
Unemployed: Not employed, actively seeking work, available to start within 2 weeks
Economically Inactive: Not employed and not seeking work (students, retired, caring for family, long-term sick/disabled, discouraged workers, etc.)

Source

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/labour-market-and-social-welfare

Usage

bolster nisra labour-market [OPTIONS]

Options

--dimension <dimension>

Which dimension to retrieve (default: all)

Options:: employment | economic_inactivity | lgd | all

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

marriages

NISRA Monthly Marriage Registrations Statistics.

Retrieves monthly marriage registration data for Northern Ireland.

Marriage registrations represent when the marriage was registered, not when the ceremony occurred. The data is published monthly with provisional figures for the current year and final figures for previous years.

Examples:

Get latest marriages data:

bolster nisra marriages

Filter for a specific year:

bolster nisra marriages --year 2024

Save to file:

bolster nisra marriages --save marriages.csv

Get data as JSON:

bolster nisra marriages --format json

Force refresh cached data:

bolster nisra marriages --force-refresh

Notes:

Monthly time series from 2006 to present
Final data for years up to and including 2024
Provisional and subject to change for current year
COVID-19 Note: 2020 shows dramatic impact on marriages (April: 14, May: 4 marriages during strict lockdown)

Seasonal Patterns

Summer months (June-September) are peak wedding season: • August typically has the highest number of marriages • June-September account for ~40% of annual marriages • January-February typically have the lowest numbers

Returns:

DataFrame

date: First day of month (datetime)
year: Year of registration
month: Month name
marriages: Number of marriage registrations

Source

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/births-deaths-and-marriages/marriages

Usage

bolster nisra marriages [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

migration

NISRA Migration Estimates (Derived from Demographic Components).

Calculates net migration using the demographic accounting equation:: Net Migration = Population Change - Natural Change Net Migration = ΔPopulation - (Births - Deaths)

This combines data from: - Mid-year population estimates - Monthly birth registrations (occurrence data) - Historical death registrations

The demographic equation must hold: Pop(t+1) = Pop(t) + Births - Deaths + Migration

Args:

year: Filter data for specific year start_year: Start year for data range end_year: End year for data range output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename) summary: Show summary statistics only

Examples:

Get all migration data:

bolster nisra migration

Filter for specific year:

bolster nisra migration --year 2024

Show summary statistics for 2010-2024:

bolster nisra migration --start-year 2010 --summary

Save to file:

bolster nisra migration --save migration.csv

Get data as JSON:

bolster nisra migration --format json

Force refresh all source data:

bolster nisra migration --force-refresh

Data Notes:

Coverage: 2011-2024 (limited by historical deaths data)
Derived migration includes net effect of international and internal migration
Also captures measurement error and timing differences between sources
Demographic equation validated for all years (ΔPop = Births - Deaths + Migration)

Key Findings:

2023: Highest net immigration (+7,225)
2024: Strong immigration continues (+6,107)
2013: Highest net emigration (-2,124)
Average 2011-2024: +2,082 per year
9 years with net immigration, 5 with net emigration

Returns:

DataFrame with columns:

year: Year
population_start, population_end: Mid-year population estimates
births, deaths: Annual totals
natural_change: Births - Deaths
population_change: Year-over-year change
net_migration: Derived migration estimate
migration_rate: Per 1,000 population

Note:

Combines three NISRA data sources:

Usage

bolster nisra migration [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--start-year <start_year>: Start year for summary statistics

--end-year <end_year>: End year for summary statistics

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics only

occupancy

NISRA Monthly Accommodation Occupancy Statistics.

Retrieves monthly occupancy data for Northern Ireland from the Tourism Statistics Branch. Supports both hotel and SSA (Small Service Accommodation - B&Bs, guest houses) data.

Parameters

accommodationstr: Type of accommodation: hotel (Hotels, 2011-present, ~65% avg occupancy), ssa (Small Service Accommodation: B&Bs/guest houses, 2013-present, ~33% avg), or combined (both types with accommodation_type column).
data_typestr: Data to retrieve: rates (room and bed occupancy rates, 0-1 scale) or sold (number of rooms and beds sold monthly).

Examples

Get latest hotel occupancy rates (default):

bolster nisra occupancy --latest

Get SSA (B&B/guest house) occupancy:

bolster nisra occupancy --latest --accommodation ssa

Get combined data with accommodation type:

bolster nisra occupancy --latest --accommodation combined

Compare hotel vs SSA by year:

bolster nisra occupancy --compare

Get rooms/beds sold data:

bolster nisra occupancy --latest --data-type sold

Filter for a specific year:

bolster nisra occupancy --latest --year 2024

Show summary by year:

bolster nisra occupancy --latest --summary

Save to file:

bolster nisra occupancy --latest --save occupancy.csv

Notes

Hotel data: 2011-present (~65% average room occupancy)
SSA data: 2013-present (~33% average room occupancy)
Room occupancy is typically higher than bed occupancy
COVID-19 Note: 2020-2021 shows dramatic impact on tourism (all accommodation closed March-July 2020, Oct-Dec 2020, Jan-May 2021)

Seasonal Patterns

Summer months (June-September) are peak tourism season:

August typically has the highest occupancy (~80% hotel, ~55% SSA)
July-September are consistently strong
January-February typically have the lowest occupancy

Returns

DataFrame (rates):

date: First day of month (datetime)
year: Year
month: Month name
room_occupancy: Room occupancy rate (0-1)
bed_occupancy: Bed occupancy rate (0-1)
accommodation_type: (combined only) ‘hotel’ or ‘ssa’

DataFrame (sold):

date: First day of month (datetime)
year: Year
month: Month name
rooms_sold: Number of rooms sold
beds_sold: Number of beds sold

Source

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/tourism/occupancy-surveys

Usage

bolster nisra occupancy [OPTIONS]

Options

--latest: Get the most recent occupancy data

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--accommodation <accommodation>

Accommodation type: hotel, ssa (B&Bs/guest houses), or combined

Options:: hotel | ssa | combined

--data-type <data_type>

Data type: rates (occupancy rates) or sold (rooms/beds sold)

Options:: rates | sold

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics only

--compare: Compare hotel vs SSA occupancy by year

planning-statistics

NISRA Planning Activity Statistics (Department for Infrastructure).

Quarterly Northern Ireland planning application statistics: applications received, decided, approved, withdrawn, and approval rate. NI-wide series goes back to Q1 2002/03; council-area breakdowns cover recent quarters across the 11 local councils.

Examples:

Quarterly NI-wide series (default):

bolster nisra planning-statistics

Per-council quarterly data for the latest financial year:

bolster nisra planning-statistics --dimension council --financial-year 2024/25

Annual financial-year totals:

bolster nisra planning-statistics --dimension annual

Council summary for 2024/25:

bolster nisra planning-statistics --dimension council-summary --financial-year 2024/25

Save to file:

bolster nisra planning-statistics --save planning.csv

Source:

https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/planning-activity-statistics

Usage

bolster nisra planning-statistics [OPTIONS]

Options

--dimension <dimension>

Which view to retrieve: ‘ni’ (quarterly NI-wide, default), ‘council’ (per-council quarterly), ‘annual’ (NI financial-year totals), ‘council-summary’ (per-council aggregate).

Options:: ni | council | annual | council-summary

--financial-year <financial_year>: Filter by financial year, e.g. ‘2024/25’

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show summary statistics instead of full data

population

NISRA Mid-Year Population Estimates.

Retrieves annual mid-year population estimates for Northern Ireland with breakdowns by: - Geography (NI overall, Parliamentary Constituencies, Health and Social Care Trusts) - Sex (All persons, Males, Females) - Age (5-year age bands: 00-04, 05-09, …, 90+) - Year (1971-present for NI overall, 2021-present for sub-geographies)

Mid-year estimates are referenced to June 30th of each year.

Examples:

Get latest NI overall population:

bolster nisra population

Get all geographic areas:

bolster nisra population --area all

Get specific year:

bolster nisra population --year 2024

Get Parliamentary Constituencies:

bolster nisra population --area "Parliamentary Constituencies (2024)"

Save to file:

bolster nisra population --save population.csv

Get as JSON:

bolster nisra population --format json

Notes:

Published annually ~6 months after reference date
Reference date: June 30th of each year
Historical data for NI overall from 1971
Sub-geography data from 2021 onwards
Age bands: 5-year groups (00-04, 05-09, …, 85-89, 90+)
Also includes custom age bands and broad age groups

Geographic Areas

Northern Ireland: NI overall (1971-present)
Parliamentary Constituencies (2024): 2024 parliamentary constituencies (2021-present)
Health and Social Care Trusts: Health & Social Care Trusts (2021-present)
all: All geographic breakdowns

Returns:

DataFrame

area, area_code, area_name: Geographic identifiers
year: Reference year (mid-year estimate as of June 30th)
sex: All persons, Males, or Females
age_5: 5-year age band
age_band, age_broad: Alternative age groupings
population: Mid-year estimate

Source

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/people-and-communities/population

Usage

bolster nisra population [OPTIONS]

Options

--area <area>

Geographic area (default: Northern Ireland)

Options:: all | Northern Ireland | Parliamentary Constituencies (2024) | Health and Social Care Trusts

--year <year>: Specific year to retrieve (leave blank for all years)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

population-projections

NISRA Population Projections for Northern Ireland.

By default returns NI-level principal projections (2024-based, to 2074). Use –lgd to get LGD sub-area projections (2022-based, 11 districts, to 2047).

b Examples:

bolster nisra population-projections bolster nisra population-projections –start-year 2025 –end-year 2035 bolster nisra population-projections –lgd bolster nisra population-projections –lgd –lgd-name Belfast bolster nisra population-projections –lgd –lgd-name N09000003

Usage

bolster nisra population-projections [OPTIONS]

Options

--lgd: Show LGD sub-area projections instead of NI-level

--lgd-name <lgd_name>: Filter LGD projections to a specific LGD name or code

--start-year <start_year>: Filter projections from this year (inclusive)

--end-year <end_year>: Filter projections to this year (inclusive)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Bypass cache and download fresh data

--save <save>: Save output to file

public-confidence

NISRA Public Confidence in Official Statistics (PCOS).

b Annual survey measuring public awareness of and trust in NISRA and official statistics, drawn from the Northern Ireland Continuous Household Survey (CHS). Data covers 2009–present for awareness and 2014–present for trust measures.

Breakdowns:

awareness Awareness of NISRA (2009–present) trust-nisra Trust in NISRA as an institution (2014–present) trust-civil-service Trust in the Civil Service (2014–present) trust-ni-assembly Trust in the NI Assembly/elected bodies (2014–present) trust-media Trust in the Media (2014–present) trust-nisra-statistics Trust in statistics produced by NISRA (2014–present) all-trust All five trust topics combined (adds topic column)

Examples:

Awareness of NISRA over time:

bolster nisra public-confidence

Trust in NISRA statistics:

bolster nisra public-confidence --breakdown trust-nisra-statistics

All trust topics as JSON:

bolster nisra public-confidence --breakdown all-trust --format json

Save awareness data to CSV:

bolster nisra public-confidence --save awareness.csv

Source:

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/people-and-communities/public-awareness-and-trust-confidence-official-statistics-pcos

Usage

bolster nisra public-confidence [OPTIONS]

Options

--breakdown <breakdown>

Which breakdown to retrieve (default: awareness)

Options:: awareness | trust-nisra | trust-civil-service | trust-ni-assembly | trust-media | trust-nisra-statistics | all-trust

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: table | csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify path)

quarterly-employment-survey

NISRA Quarterly Employment Survey (QES).

b Employee jobs in Northern Ireland by sector (manufacturing, construction, services, other), Q1 1998 to present. Seasonally adjusted by default.

Examples:

All QES data (seasonally adjusted):

bolster nisra quarterly-employment-survey

Unadjusted series saved as JSON:

bolster nisra quarterly-employment-survey --unadjusted --format json --save qes.json

Filter to 2024:

bolster nisra quarterly-employment-survey --year 2024

Source:

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/labour-market-and-social-welfare/quarterly-employment-survey

Usage

bolster nisra quarterly-employment-survey [OPTIONS]

Options

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: table | csv | json

--adjusted, --unadjusted: Use seasonally adjusted series (default: adjusted)

--year <year>: Filter by year

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

registrar-general

NISRA Registrar General Quarterly Tables.

Quarterly vital statistics for Northern Ireland including births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, and LGD-level breakdowns. Data available from Q1 2009 to present.

Args:

latest: Get the most recent quarterly tables data quarterly: Show full quarterly time series lgd: Show LGD (Local Government District) breakdown validate: Run cross-validation against monthly data dimension: Which dimension to retrieve (births, deaths, or all) table_deprecated: Deprecated alias for –dimension (use –dimension instead) year: Filter data for specific year quarter: Filter data for specific quarter (1-4) output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename)

Tables Available:

births: Quarterly births, stillbirths, birth rates deaths: Quarterly deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, death rates lgd: Current quarter breakdown by Local Government District

Examples:

Get latest quarterly data (all tables):

bolster nisra registrar-general --latest

Get quarterly births time series:

bolster nisra registrar-general --quarterly --dimension births

Get LGD breakdown for current quarter:

bolster nisra registrar-general --lgd

Cross-validate quarterly vs monthly data:

bolster nisra registrar-general --validate

Get specific year/quarter:

bolster nisra registrar-general --quarterly --year 2024 --quarter 1

Save to file:

bolster nisra registrar-general --quarterly --save quarterly.csv

Cross-Validation:

The –validate option compares quarterly totals against aggregated monthly data from the births and marriages modules. Differences within 2% are considered acceptable (timing of registrations).

Data Notes:

Quarterly data from Q1 2009 to present
Updated approximately 6 weeks after each quarter ends
11 Local Government Districts in NI
Birth/death rates per 1,000 population

Returns:

DataFrame with columns varying by table type:

quarter: Quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)
year: Year
Various statistical columns depending on table

Note:

Source: https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/births-deaths-and-marriages/registrar-general-quarterly-report

Usage

bolster nisra registrar-general [OPTIONS]

Options

--latest: Get the most recent quarterly tables data

--quarterly: Show full quarterly time series

--lgd: Show LGD (Local Government District) breakdown

--validate: Run cross-validation against monthly data

--dimension <dimension>

Which dimension to retrieve (default: all)

Options:: births | deaths | all

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year

--quarter <quarter>: Filter data for specific quarter (1-4)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

visitors

NISRA Quarterly Visitor Statistics (Trips, Nights, Expenditure).

Retrieves quarterly visitor statistics for Northern Ireland from NISRA, showing overnight trips, nights spent, and visitor expenditure by market origin.

Args:

latest: Get the most recent visitor statistics data market: Filter by visitor market (gb, europe, north-america, overseas, roi, ni, total, all) output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename) summary: Show summary statistics only compare: Compare domestic vs external visitors

Markets:

gb - Great Britain (largest external market)
europe - Other Europe (excluding GB and ROI)
north-america - North America (USA and Canada)
overseas - Other overseas (Asia, Oceania, etc.)
roi - Republic of Ireland
ni - NI Residents (domestic tourism)
total - All markets combined
all - Show all markets (default)

Examples:

Get latest visitor statistics:

bolster nisra visitors --latest

Show market summary with per-trip metrics:

bolster nisra visitors --latest --summary

Compare domestic vs external visitors:

bolster nisra visitors --latest --compare

Get Great Britain visitors only:

bolster nisra visitors --latest --market gb

Save to file:

bolster nisra visitors --latest --save visitors.csv

Data Insights:

GB is typically the largest external market (~30% of trips, ~38% of spend)
ROI visitors growing rapidly (up 32% trips, 68% spend YoY in 2025)
NI residents account for ~31% of trips but only ~17% of expenditure
External visitors spend 2-4x more per trip than NI residents
“Other Overseas” (long-haul) has highest spend per trip (~£540)

Note:

Source: https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/quarterly-tourism-statistics-publications

Usage

bolster nisra visitors [OPTIONS]

Options

--latest: Get the most recent visitor statistics

--market <market>

Filter by visitor origin market

Options:: all | gb | europe | north-america | overseas | roi | ni | total

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--summary: Show market summary with derived metrics

--compare: Compare domestic vs external visitors

wellbeing

NISRA Individual Wellbeing Statistics.

Retrieves individual wellbeing statistics for Northern Ireland, measuring subjective wellbeing across the population aged 16 and over.

Args:

dimension: Which dimension to retrieve (personal, loneliness, self-efficacy, or summary) metric_deprecated: Deprecated alias for –dimension (use –dimension instead) year: Filter data for specific year (format: 2024/25) output_format: Output format (csv or json) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached save: Save data to file (specify filename)

Dimensions (personal, loneliness, self-efficacy, summary):

personal - ONS4 measures (Life Satisfaction, Worthwhile, Happiness, Anxiety); scores 0-10 (higher is better, except Anxiety). loneliness - Proportion feeling lonely at least some of the time. self-efficacy - Mean self-efficacy scores (range 5-25). summary - Combined latest values for all measures.

Examples:

Get personal wellbeing (ONS4 measures):

bolster nisra wellbeing

Get loneliness statistics:

bolster nisra wellbeing --dimension loneliness

Get summary of all dimensions for latest year:

bolster nisra wellbeing --dimension summary

Filter for a specific year:

bolster nisra wellbeing --year "2023/24"

Save to file:

bolster nisra wellbeing --save wellbeing.csv

Data Notes:

Personal wellbeing: Annual from 2014/15 to present
Loneliness: Annual from 2017/18 to present
Self-efficacy: Annual from 2014/15 to present
COVID-19 Note: 2020/21 shows increased anxiety and loneliness

Returns:

DataFrame with columns (for personal metric):

year: Financial year (e.g., “2024/25”)
life_satisfaction: Mean score 0-10 (higher is better)
worthwhile: Mean score 0-10 (higher is better)
happiness: Mean score 0-10 (higher is better)
anxiety: Mean score 0-10 (lower is better)

Note:

Source: https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/wellbeing/individual-wellbeing-northern-ireland

Usage

bolster nisra wellbeing [OPTIONS]

Options

--dimension <dimension>

Which dimension to retrieve (default: personal)

Options:: personal | loneliness | self-efficacy | summary

--year <year>: Filter data for specific year (format: 2024/25)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

work-quality

NISRA Work Quality Statistics for Northern Ireland.

b Seventeen indicators of job quality for employees aged 18 and over, drawn from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). Covers 2020 to present with breakdowns by sex, age group, deprivation quintile, and skill level.

Examples:

All work quality indicators:

bolster nisra work-quality

Filter to job satisfaction indicator:

bolster nisra work-quality --indicator job_satisfaction

Data for 2023 saved as JSON:

bolster nisra work-quality --year 2023 --format json --save wq2023.json

Source:

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/labour-market-and-social-welfare/work-quality

Usage

bolster nisra work-quality [OPTIONS]

Options

--indicator <indicator>: Filter by indicator name (e.g. ‘job_satisfaction’)

--year <year>: Filter by year

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: csv)

Options:: csv | json

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

psni

PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) data sources.

Access official statistics from the Police Service of Northern Ireland including: - Road Traffic Collision statistics (injury collisions, casualties, vehicles) - Police recorded crime statistics (from OpenDataNI)

All data is sourced from OpenDataNI under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Geographic breakdowns use 11 Policing Districts aligned with LGDs.

Usage

bolster psni [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

crime

PSNI historical crime statistics (Apr 2001–Dec 2021).

b ⚠️ This data source is STALE. The PSNI no longer publishes the structured OpenDataNI crime statistics dataset used by this module. The data covers April 2001 to December 2021 only and will not be updated.

For more recent crime data, consult the PSNI’s published statistical reports at https://www.psni.police.uk/statistics/

b Examples:

bolster psni crime –format csv –save crime_history.csv bolster psni crime –format json

Usage

bolster psni crime [OPTIONS]

Options

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: table | csv | json

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

ombudsman

Police Ombudsman Complaint Statistics.

Retrieves official complaint statistics published by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, covering complaints, allegations, and case outcomes.

Available breakdowns:

b totals - Total complaints 2000/01 to present by-district - Complaints by policing district, 2011/12+ by-allegation-type- Allegations by type and subtype, 2011/12+ by-outcome - Complaint closures by outcome, 2011/12+ quarterly - Quarterly complaints, latest 5 financial years

Examples: b

bolster psni ombudsman bolster psni ombudsman –breakdown by-district bolster psni ombudsman –breakdown quarterly –format csv bolster psni ombudsman –breakdown by-allegation-type –save allegations.csv

Usage

bolster psni ombudsman [OPTIONS]

Options

--breakdown <breakdown>

Which breakdown to retrieve.

Default:: 'totals'
Options:: totals | by-district | by-allegation-type | by-outcome | quarterly

--format <output_format>

Output format.

Default:: 'table'
Options:: table | csv | json

--save <PATH>: Save output to file.

--force-refresh: Bypass cache and re-download.

pace

PSNI PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Order) Statistics.

Retrieves annual PACE statistics from PSNI Statistics Branch including: - Monthly stop and search counts by reason (stolen articles, offensive weapons,

going equipped, fireworks) with associated arrests

Quarterly arrests under PACE by gender and legal-rights requests (solicitor, friend/relative)

Args:

breakdown: Which table to retrieve (‘stop-search’ or ‘arrests’) output_format: Output format (table, csv, or json) save: Save data to file (specify filename) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached

Examples:

Get monthly stop & search breakdown:

bolster psni pace --breakdown stop-search

Get quarterly arrest demographics as CSV:

bolster psni pace --breakdown arrests --format csv

Save arrests data to file:

bolster psni pace --breakdown arrests --save pace_arrests.csv

Data Notes:

Single financial year per workbook; PACE_URLS updated each May
Stop & search reasons: Stolen Articles, Offensive Weapon/Blade or Point, Going Equipped/Prohibited Articles, Fireworks
Arrests breakdown: Total, Male, Female, Unknown/Other, Requested friend/relative, Requested solicitor

Usage

bolster psni pace [OPTIONS]

Options

--breakdown <breakdown>

Which table to retrieve: ‘stop-search’ (monthly counts) or ‘arrests’ (quarterly demographics). Default: stop-search.

Options:: stop-search | arrests

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: table | csv | json

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

rtc

PSNI Road Traffic Collision Statistics.

Retrieves police-recorded injury road traffic collision data including: - Collision records with date, location, road conditions - Casualty records with severity (fatal/serious/slight), road user type - Vehicle records with type and driver details

Args:

year: Specific year to retrieve (default: latest) data_type: Type of data to retrieve (collisions, casualties, vehicles, or summary) by: Group results by dimension (district, road-user, or year) output_format: Output format (table, csv, or json) save: Save data to file (specify filename) force_refresh: Force re-download even if cached

Examples:

Get annual summary for all available years:

bolster psni rtc --data-type summary

Get 2024 casualties by district:

bolster psni rtc --year 2024 --data-type casualties --by district

Get casualties by road user type:

bolster psni rtc --data-type casualties --by road-user

Export collision data to CSV:

bolster psni rtc --year 2024 --data-type collisions --format csv --save collisions.csv

Data Notes:

Data covers injury collisions only (not damage-only)
Available from 2013 onwards via OpenDataNI
Severity: Fatal, Serious, Slight
Updated annually (~6 months after year end)

Returns:

DataFrame with various columns depending on data_type and grouping

Usage

bolster psni rtc [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Specific year to retrieve (default: latest)

--data-type <data_type>

Type of data to retrieve (default: summary)

Options:: collisions | casualties | vehicles | summary

--by <by>

Group results by dimension

Options:: district | road-user | year

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: table | csv | json

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

stop-search

PSNI Stop and Search Statistics (2017/18 onwards).

Retrieves individual stop and search records for Northern Ireland covering: - Financial year and quarter - Legislation used (Misuse of Drugs Act, PACE, Justice & Security Act, etc.) - PACE-specific search reasons (stolen articles, prohibited articles, blade/point, fireworks) - Subject demographics (age group, gender)

Note: This dataset does not include a policing district breakdown. All records are at Northern Ireland level only.

Examples:

Show summary table of all records:

bolster psni stop-search

Filter to a specific financial year:

bolster psni stop-search --year 2023/24

Export all records to CSV:

bolster psni stop-search --format csv --save stop_search.csv

Export 2024/25 data as JSON:

bolster psni stop-search --year 2024/25 --format json

Returns:

DataFrame with individual stop and search records.

Usage

bolster psni stop-search [OPTIONS]

Options

--year <year>: Filter by financial year, e.g. ‘2023/24’

--district <district>: No district breakdown is available in this dataset (ignored with warning)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: table | csv | json

--save <save>: Save data to file (specify filename)

--force-refresh: Force re-download even if cached

rss

RSS/Atom feed reading commands.

Tools for reading and parsing RSS/Atom feeds with beautiful terminal formatting. Includes generic feed reader and specialized commands for NISRA statistics.

Usage

bolster rss [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

nisra-statistics

Browse NISRA (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) publications.

Fetches and displays recent research and statistics publications from NISRA via the GOV.UK website. Includes reports on demographics, health, economy, labour market, crime, and lifestyle surveys.

Args:

limit: Maximum number of entries to display title_filter: Filter entries by title keyword after_date: Show only entries after this date order: Sort order for entries (newest, oldest) format: Output format (rich, json, csv)

Examples:

# Show recent NISRA publications bolster nisra-statistics

# Find health-related statistics bolster nisra-statistics –title-filter “health”

# Get oldest publications first bolster nisra-statistics –order oldest –limit 10

# Export to CSV bolster nisra-statistics –format csv > nisra.csv

Note:

Publication types include: - Labour Market Statistics - Population & Demographics - Health & Social Care - Crime & Justice Statistics - Economic Statistics - Lifestyle & Wellbeing Surveys

Output formats: - rich: Beautiful terminal output with colors (default) - json: Machine-readable JSON format - csv: Spreadsheet-compatible CSV format

Usage

bolster rss nisra-statistics [OPTIONS]

Options

-l, --limit <limit>: Maximum number of entries to display

-t, --title-filter <title_filter>: Filter entries by title (case-insensitive)

-a, --after-date <after_date>: Show entries published after this date (YYYY-MM-DD)

-o, --order <order>

Sort order by release date

Options:: recent | oldest

-f, --format <format>

Output format

Options:: rich | json | csv

read

Read and display RSS/Atom feeds with beautiful formatting.

Fetches and parses RSS or Atom feeds from any URL, displaying entries with rich formatting in the terminal. Supports filtering by title and date range.

Args:

feed_url: URL of the RSS or Atom feed to read limit: Maximum number of entries to display title_filter: Filter entries by title keyword after_date: Show only entries after this date before_date: Show only entries before this date format: Output format (rich, json, csv)

Examples:

# Display NISRA statistics feed bolster rss-feed “https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics.atom”

# Filter by title keyword bolster rss-feed URL –title-filter “health”

# Limit to recent entries bolster rss-feed URL –limit 10 –after-date 2024-01-01

Note:

Output formats: - rich: Beautiful terminal output with colors and formatting (default) - json: Machine-readable JSON output - csv: Comma-separated values for spreadsheet import

Usage

bolster rss read [OPTIONS] FEED_URL

Options

-l, --limit <limit>: Maximum number of entries to display

-t, --title-filter <title_filter>: Filter entries by title (case-insensitive)

-a, --after-date <after_date>: Show entries published after this date (YYYY-MM-DD)

-b, --before-date <before_date>: Show entries published before this date (YYYY-MM-DD)

-f, --format <format>

Output format

Options:: rich | json | csv

Arguments

FEED_URL: Required argument

water-quality

Get water quality information for a Northern Ireland postcode or zone.

Provides water quality data including hardness classification, chemical parameters, and compliance information from Northern Ireland Water.

Examples:: bolster water-quality BT1 5GS # Lookup by postcode bolster water-quality –zone-code BALM # Lookup by zone code bolster water-quality BT7 –format json # JSON output

Usage

bolster water-quality [OPTIONS] [POSTCODE]

Options

--zone-code <zone_code>: Water supply zone code (alternative to postcode lookup)

--format <output_format>

Output format (default: table)

Options:: json | csv | table

Arguments

POSTCODE: Optional argument