Coronavirus

One in five law firms in Northern Ireland made redundancies last year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new research published by the Law Society of Northern Ireland. The results from two Law Society surveys of member firms, conducted in May 2020 and November/December 2020, have bee

Former Arthur Cox chief Eugene McCague has been appointed to investigate a high-profile vaccination row at Beacon Hospital. Mr McCague will investigate the circumstances surrounding the hospital's vaccination of teachers at a private school attended by the children of the hospital's chief executive,

Immigration and international protection permissions have been temporarily extended for a further five months. People who held a valid permission to be in the State in March 2020 will be legally permitted to remain until 20 September 2021, even if their Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card has expired

The temporary suspension of the requirement to hold a public event as part of pre-application community consultation on major planning applications has been extended until the end of September 2021. The latest extension will allow major planning applications to continue to be submitted during the Co

The final court order in a judicial review brought by the Good Law Project has found that Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled MPs when he said all Covid-19 contracts were "on the record for everybody to see". The High Court in London ruled last month that Health Secretary Matt Hancock had acted unla

Law firm Carson McDowell and Belfast Chamber of Commerce have launched a new series of events aimed at starting a debate around the future growth and development of Belfast. The "Re-Energising Belfast" series of four virtual events will consider some of the key development challenges and opportuniti

The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court decision to refuse leave in judicial review proceedings which challenged the constitutionality of the Covid-19 lockdown in Ireland. The court was highly critical of the case made by the appellants, stating that the proceedings were “tendentious&rdquo

Northern Ireland's courts backlog has eased slightly since the height of the pandemic, with around 10,000 criminal cases outstanding at the start of February. Justice Minister Naomi Long said the 10,000 total was up on 8,100 cases in March 2020 but "down significantly" from a peak of 12,800 in Septe

The High Court has determined that a Health and Care Trust did not act unlawfully after it reduced the level of social care to two profoundly disabled adults due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The court said that the decision taken by the Trust to reduce care services from March 2020 was r

Restaurants are gearing up for a court battle over insurance pay-outs linked to Covid-19 following last month's landmark ruling in favour of pub owners. The High Court last month ruled that FBD Insurance was required to cover the losses of four pub owners for the enforced closure of business during

The Oireachtas has rejected proposals to require all travellers entering Ireland to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks, instead limiting the measures to a list which currently stands at 20 countries, mostly in Africa. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told TDs yesterday that the hotel quarantine sys

The Irish government has "repeatedly blurred the boundary between legal requirements and public health guidance" in its response to the Covid-19 response, according to new research. The critical report, published today by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, also warns that the delegation

A review led by barrister Peter Coll QC has concluded that Belfast City Council was not pressurised into giving special treatment to the funeral of republican Bobby Storey. Mr Coll was appointed last September to review the council's handling of the funeral after it allowed up to 30 mourners into Ro

Legislation protecting private renters in Northern Ireland from eviction have been extended to the end of September 2021. The Private Tenancies (Coronavirus Modifications) Act requires landlords to give tenants a 12 week notice to quit period before seeking a court order to begin proceedings to evic

FBD Insurance does not intend to appeal a landmark High Court ruling that four pub owners are entitled to be compensated for the disruption their businesses suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a judgment earlier this month, Mr Justice Denis McDonald said that the proper interpretation of FBD's