News

Ireland's drinking water does not meet EU standards, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled. The court found that the concentration of the the chemical compound trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water in a large number of public water supplies was above safety limits, since at

The Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use, which met from April to October last year, has published its final report, with 36 recommendations for a new Irish model to reduce the harm caused by illicit drugs use. The report and recommendations were formally launched by Assembly chair Paul Reid, and G

Irish lawyer Aonghus Kelly has been appointed to lead an EU unit helping the Ukrainian authorities to investigate and prosecute international crimes committed during the ongoing war. Mr Kelly has been working in Kyiv with the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM) since September 2022, initially on sabb

Workers and business owners have been invited to share their views on the legislation protecting tips and gratuities. The Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Act 2022, which came into effect on 1 December 2022, requires a statutory review to be undertaken after one year to assess its

The Chief Justice of Ireland, Donal O'Donnell, joined over 120 lawyers from across South Down and South Armagh at the Newry & Banbridge Solicitors Association Annual Judges Dinner last week.

Ireland's independent electoral commission, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, has formally launched the independent information campaign for the two constitutional referendums taking place in March. An Coimisiún Toghcháin has taken on the role previously held by the Referendum Comm

Dublin firm Gaffney Halligan & Co Solicitors has announced the appointment of Aislinn Greene as solicitor. Ms Greene is originally from County Meath and will work primarily in the areas of family law and litigation.

The Irish government has indicated it will "strongly consider" making an intervention in South Africa's case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). South Africa has alleged that Israel is breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention through acts and omissions "intended to bring about

The Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use, which last year recommended the decriminalisation of possessing drugs for personal use, is to publish its final report this afternoon. The citizens' assembly, which began in April 2023, last October published a summary of its 36 recommendations producing a new Ir

Organisations dedicated to the advancement of human rights will be eligible to become charities under reforms proposed by the government. The Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023, to be introduced to the Dáil today, includes a series of revisions and updates to the Charities Act 2009, including pr

Irish lawyer Michael O'Flaherty has been elected as the Council of Europe's next commissioner for human rights, becoming the first Irish person to hold the post. Dr O'Flaherty won 104 votes in the second day of voting by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), beating Bulgarian n

A man has been arrested on suspicion of robbing a bank just three days after being acquitted of robbing a different bank. Chicago man Mohamed Worku, 31, was acquitted of bank robbery on Friday after a jury found that his alleged actions were not intimidating enough to meet the definition of robbery.

A constitutional amendment allowing Ireland to participate in the Unified Patent Court (UPC) will take place in June. The government yesterday confirmed plans to hold the referendum alongside the European and local elections, with a bill to be brought to the Oireachtas as a matter of priority.

New legislation will be introduced to guarantee "reasonable access to cash" in the State. The general scheme of the Access to Cash Bill, which stems from a recommendation made by the Retail Banking Review in 2022, was published yesterday following approval by government ministers.

Queen's University Belfast law graduate Aine Doyle has been awarded the Lord Kerr Bar Scholarship for 2023/24. The award will cover the fees of the one-year bar trainee course at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS), amounting to £10,400.