Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's High Court has ruled that Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ministers have acted unlawfully by boycotting meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC). Mr Justice David Scoffield said the boycott, launched by the DUP last month in protest of the Northern Ireland Protocol,

The Northern Ireland courts are relying on Westminster to ensure that remote hearings can continue to take place in the criminal courts beyond spring 2022, justice minister Naomi Long has said. Mrs Long has expressed concern that repeal of the UK's Coronavirus Act 2020 "would make it impossible to c

Prison healthcare in Northern Ireland is characterised by underfunding and delays, with a £4 million budget boost needed just to bring it in line with funding levels in England and Wales, a long-awaited review has found. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) has published its

A barrister from Northern Ireland who practises in London has been shortlisted for an award recognising young barristers in England and Wales for their pro bono work. The Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year award, facilitated by Advocate, the pro bono charity of The Bar of England and Wales, celebr

A suite of hate crime guides for use in the workplace have been published by Northern Ireland's Department of Justice after being developed in collaboration with the Labour Relations Agency. The three separate guides offer practical support in circumstances where a member of staff becomes a victim o

Northern Ireland's High Court has rejected an application to stay civil claims against an alleged Provisional IRA member and informer until after a one-million-page report into criminal activity is published, ruling that “stagnation is not an option”. The interlocutory application querie

Investing money recovered from criminal activity back into communities "builds confidence in the justice system", justice minister Naomi Long has said.

Family lawyers in Northern Ireland stand to lose out from the proposed introduction of standard fees for certain cases, on top of an existing 25-year freeze in legal aid fees, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has said. The Department of Justice recently consulted on the introduction of standard l

An expert panel appointed to help design a victim-centred independent investigation into mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries in Northern Ireland has called for a statutory public inquiry. The independent truth recovery panel, comprising social worker Deirdre Mahone and legal academics Dr M

A new advocacy service offering impartial and practical support for victims of sexual and domestic abuse in Northern Ireland has been officially launched. ASSIST NI is being rolled out on a phased basis by the Department of Justice and PSNI in partnership with Belfast and Lisburn Women's Aid, Foyle

A high-profile legal challenge to the liberalisation of Northern Ireland's abortion laws, spearheaded by former Attorney General John Larkin QC, has begun in the High Court. Mr Larkin is acting on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) in an application for judicial revie

Amanda Stewart has taken up the reins of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland as its chief executive with effect from today. Ms Stewart previously worked for the Policing Board since its inception and has a wide range of experience across Probation's responsibilities, including policing with the

Northern Ireland's High Court has dismissed an application to strip away a father’s parental responsibility towards his daughter despite evidence of domestic and sexual abuse towards her mother in the child's presence. An application was brought by the child, RE’s, mother under Article 7

The end of the stamp duty holiday is not dampening activity in Northern Ireland's housing market, according to a Belfast solicitor. Janet Williamson, director of commercial and property at O'Reilly Stewart Solicitors, said her team was working on around 30 completions this week ahead of the stamp du

Belfast-based Cleaver Fulton Rankin has welcomed three newly-qualified solicitors following their completion of the firm's trainee solicitor programme. Brendan Tabb, Christopher Bew and Ruaidhri Groom have each completed the two-year training programme, which develops skills across a wide range of l