Northern Ireland

The full implementation of Sir John Gillen's recommendations for improving serious sexual offence trials in Northern Ireland will be complete by the end of 2022 under a plan published today. According to the implementation plan, 11 per cent of the 253 recommendations made in Sir John's final report,

New hate crime legislation will not be brought to the Northern Ireland Assembly for at least two more years, Justice Minister Naomi Long has indicated. The justice minister confirmed this week that the independent review of hate crime legislation, led by Judge Desmond Marrinan, has been delayed

A terminally ill woman who was denied fast-track access to certain benefits has succeeded in a High Court challenge to the definition of "terminal illness" in Northern Ireland. In a decision handed down yesterday, Mr Justice Gerry McAlinden said the requirement for terminally ill claimants to demons

Lawyers representing the family of an 18-year-old woman who was murdered in 1988 have called for an independent investigation following today's decision not to prosecute two suspects in the case. German national Inga-Maria Hauser was touring the UK as part of an interrailing holiday when she disappe

Retired solicitor Paul Kennedy has been nominated for appointment as the Northern Ireland Assembly's new commissioner for standards. Mr Kennedy qualified as a solicitor in 1983 and spent 32 years in private practice, including 28 years as principal in his own firm.

Former police officer Judith Gillespie has been appointed for a one-year term as the new independent chair on an inter-departmental working group on Mother and Baby Homes, Magdalene laundries and historical clerical child abuse. Ms Gillespie is the third person named as chair of the troubled group,

Human trafficking laws in Northern Ireland will be updated to create a new statutory duty to assist potential victims under proposals now being put to consultation. The proposals would also relax the requirement for the Department of Justice to publish a human trafficking strategy every year, allowi

UK law firm TLT has announced the appointment of Jason Byrne, the former head of Shoosmiths in Northern Ireland, as a partner in Belfast. Mr Byrne brings almost two decades of experience in insolvency and litigation to TLT, as well as financial services compliance and regulation.

Physical prison visits will resume in Northern Ireland later this month, Justice Minister Naomi Long has confirmed. Under new guidance, physical visits will be allowed to take place from 27 July, but virtual visits will remain "the preferred option".

Free public transport will be available from today for people fleeing domestic abuse, ministers have announced. The measure was first floated in May by Justice Minister Naomi Long and Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon after a similar free rail travel scheme was unveiled in England and Wales.

Lisa Bryson, partner and head of employment at Eversheds Sutherland in Belfast, considers the impact of COVID-19 on businesses in Northern Ireland. In some ways, it seems that the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme or the ‘Furlough’ scheme as its more commonly referred

Cleaver Fulton Rankin has become the first law firm in Northern Ireland to use a new web-based solution to facilitate online dispute resolution (ODR). The firm recently used the Consumer Code for Online Dispute Resolution (CCODR) platform to resolve a client dispute using remote mediation.

New proposals for the retention of DNA and fingerprints in Northern Ireland have been brought forward more than seven years after MLAs voted to introduce a new retention regime. Justice Minister Naomi Long has launched a consultation on proposed amendments to the biometric provisions set out in Sche

Northern Ireland courts could have the power to depart from the acquis of EU law under proposals set out by the UK government yesterday. At present, only the UK Supreme Court and the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland will have this power from 31 December 2020.

Domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) will be introduced in Northern Ireland by the end of the year under plans published today. Justice Minister Naomi Long and Health Minister Robin Swann have jointly published their plan for year five of the seven-year domestic and sexual abuse strategy.