Northern Ireland

The High Court has found that the Minister for the Environment acted ultra vires under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Ministerial Code, following his unilateral adoption of the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan, without Executive agreement. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment had chal

Dorit McCann, partner in the corporate team at Carson McDowell Belfast firm Carson McDowell has warned that a clampdown on convictions under the Bribery Act 2010 is gathering pace.

Andrea McIlroy Rose, partner and head of UK retail property at Pinsent Masons International law firm Pinsent Masons advised on the sale of two of Northern Ireland's best-known retail parks - Junction One and The Outlet - for more than £40 million.

Belfast firm Carson McDowell has become the official legal patron of the construction industry in Northern Ireland, the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has announced. Carson McDowell has signed up to the CEF Patronage Scheme, which sees organisations from a range of sectors come together to

Amnesty International has called for abortion laws to be reformed as a second case involving a woman accused of procuring drugs to induce a miscarriage comes before Belfast Crown Court. Yesterday, a 21-year-old woman was given a three-month jail sentence suspended for two years after illegally induc

A 21-year-old woman who was reported to police after illegally inducing her miscarriage has been given a three-month prison sentence suspended for two years. The woman, who cannot be named due to a court order, was convicted in Belfast Crown Court of offences under section 58 of the Offences Against

The family of Denis Donaldson has called on An Garda Síochána to co-operate fully with the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland's investigation into his murder ten years ago. Mr Donaldson, formerly a senior member of Sinn Féin, was shot in April 2006, less than six months after being publicly na

The Court of Appeal has found that section 6(8) of the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 can be interpreted as applying a legal burden of proof on defendants accused of taking part in unnotified processions. The appellant, Mr Jamie Bryson, had been charged with four offences of taking p

The Bar of Northern Ireland has urged the Department of Justice to address the "underlying causes of delays" in the criminal justice system in addition to its exploration of statutory time limits (STLs). In its response to a consultation on the introduction of statutory time limits for progressing c

Irish language organisation Conradh na Gaeilge has launched legal action against the Northern Ireland Executive over its alleged failure to implement the Irish-Language Strategy 2015-2035. In a statement, the group said it would challenge the Executive in court for what Conradh na Gaeilge sees as a

Suzanne Keenan, employment solicitor at Belfast firm MKB Law Businesses in Northern Ireland will be required to pay a higher minimum wage to workers over 25 from today as the new UK-wide National Living Wage comes into effect.

A child psychiatrist was allowed to continue working with children despite the fact police knew of his convictions for child sex abuse, a new report has alleged. Child Abuse, Corruption and Collusion in Britain and Northern Ireland, written by Dr Niall Meehan from Griffith College in Dublin, focusse

Justice Minister David Ford Northern Ireland's Justice Minister David Ford and Health Minister Simon Hamilton are jointly consulting on the health and social care needs of people who come in contact with the criminal justice system.

The Derry offices of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) were evacuated yesterday due to concerns over a suspicious package. Bomb disposal officers attended the scene at around 1pm before declaring that there was "nothing untoward" about the package.

Karen Bradley, parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Home Office The remaining provisions of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 will not enter force until at least May, The Guardian reports.