Northern Ireland

Belfast solicitor Brian Speers has been appointed as chair of the new Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) ethics commission. Following on from the adoption of a comprehensive code of ethics and conduct, the ethics commission is a completely independent body tasked with maintaining the highest standa

Legislation to ban so-called conversion therapy in Northern Ireland will be brought to Stormont "as soon as possible", Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has said. The Northern Ireland Assembly yesterday voted 59-24 in favour of a motion rejecting the "harmful practice" and calling for legislation

Corporate and commercial law firm Mills Selig has become the official legal patron of the Construction Employers Federation (CEF), the sole certified representative body for the construction industry in Northern Ireland.

Health and safety protections will be extended to gig economy and precarious workers in Northern Ireland next month following a landmark court ruling in London last year. The Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (Protection from Detriment in Health and Safety Cases) (Amendment) Order (Nor

Six members of the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) board have been reappointed and a further three have had their terms extended. Marie Mallon has been reappointed as chairperson for one year, while members Jill Minne, Daire Murphy, Deirdre Fitzpatrick, Louise Crilly and Michelle McGinley have been re

A cinema chain has settled a disability discrimination claim brought by a woman who uses a wheelchair with support from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Leah Batchelor is a user of the CEA card scheme, which allows people who need additional support in public to receive an additional co

Protections against religious discrimination in employment would be extended to school teachers under a proposed private member's bill. Chris Lyttle, Alliance MLA for Belfast East, has launched a consultation on a proposed bill to include teachers under the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1

The High Court of Northern Ireland has awarded more than £250,000 to the estate of a deceased victim of military brutality on Bloody Sunday. The victim, Ms Margaret Deery, was shot through her thigh with a high-calibre bullet, resulting in massive damage to her leg and serious medical complica

The introduction of so-called vaccine passports in Northern Ireland could lead to the introduction of ID cards by the back door, a human rights NGO has warned. The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) states in a detailed briefing that there is an "arguable case" that a vaccine passport

Queen's University Belfast School of Law has announced the appointment of business ethics expert Professor Harry Van Buren III as an honorary professor. Professor Van Buren is the Barbara and David A. Koch Endowed Chair of Business Ethics at the University of St. Thomas’ Opus College of Busine

The Court of Appeal in Belfast has reserved judgment on whether a judicial review alleging Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted in bad faith by signing the Brexit deal should be heard. An anonymous litigant is appealing a decision by the senior judicial review judge not to adjudicate on whether the Pr

A legal challenge brought by unionist politician Jim Allister against the Northern Ireland Protocol will be heard by the High Court in Belfast next month. Mr Allister, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, has instructed lawyers to challenge the Protocol on the basis that it breaches

A high-profile trial concerning evidence given to a Stormont committee about the Nama property scandal will be heard without a jury in an unprecedented step. Former Sinn Féin MLA Daithi McKay, Sinn Féin member Thomas O'Hara and loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson are facing a Crown Court tri

Proposals to introduce a statutory duty of candour for healthcare organisations have gone out to consultation. Healthcare organisations and everyone working for them would be required to be "open and honest in all their dealings with patients and the public" under the proposed legislation.

The Department of Health has launched a consultation on extending temporary arrangements for "flexibility" in children's social care until November. Regulations were introduced in May to provide HSC Trusts and other children’s social care providers with temporary modifications to support them