Legal Undercover gardaí will have legal right to anonymity in courtThe move comes after legal teams on murder trials challenged the right of undercover gardaí to keep their identities secret
Hospitality Allowing nightclubs to open until 6am will ‘move Ireland out of the 90s’Clubs are set to be allowed to open until 6am, while opening times for pubs will be extended to 2.30am
Bankruptcy Government moves to close bankruptcy repayment loopholeThe Insolvency Service complained to the Department of Justice about an aspect of the legislation ‘being abused by practitioners and debtors’ to delay payments to creditors
Legal McEntee to bring forward proposals to legalise third-party legal fundingJustice minister announces move on US trip to promote Ireland as legal hub for doing business in Europe
Data Two extra commissioners to be appointed to DPCRestructure is due to watchdog dealing with increasingly complex investigations in recent years, as lead regulator for many of the world’s largest data companies, according to Justice Minister
Domestic Violence Domestic violence perpetrators to get one-to-one counselling Probation Service programme will cater for 50 offenders and cost around €96,000 per year
Comment Susan O’Keeffe: We will never eradicate violence but we can create zero tolerance for itThe Justice Minster has showed leadership by introducing a seven-year strategy to fight domestic, sexual and gender-based crimes
Justice Criminal Assets Bureau says proposed Magnitsky Act has ‘no practical benefit’Bureau’s comments cast doubt on a bill designed to seize the assets of human rights violators in cases where they’re being stored in Ireland
Social Affairs Citizenship requests rise by 40% on foot of new scorecard The system, introduced in January, clarifies requirements and proofs to be met by applicants
New law will allow gardaí to reveal details of sex offendersSome opposition TDs believe powers of disclosure should be stronger, as is the case in Britain following the murder of Sarah Payne in 2000
Justice committee chair says hate crime bill needs tweaking Fianna Fáil TD James Lawless argued that basing convictions on proof of motivation alone would render it weak and ineffective against such crimes
James McDermott: Can McEntee’s defamation law reforms bring an end to astronomical awards?Irish juries are known for awarding large damages in defamation cases which are often overturned on appeal. The proposed removal of juries from High Court cases should reduce these awards, but should the reforms go further?
Garda complaints process resumes after end of pay disputeGsoc says backlog in handling of disciplinary complaints against gardaí is being cleared after seven-month hiatus
New residency scheme could yield €93m annually Undocumented migrants are being offered the opportunity to receive residency permits under a new regularisation scheme
Deportation orders issued for 252 convicted criminals during pandemic One man challenged his deportation order on the grounds that the mother of his child had poor mental health, meaning the child could be taken into care if the mother was hospitalised
How victims and their families could be better served by our justice systemIn the wake of the murder of Ashling Murphy, fresh concerns are being raised about a lack of access to legal guidance for victims and insufficient supports to help with healing
Wealthy non-EU visa-seekers pump €62m into Irish social housing in NovemberImmigrant Investor Programme gets massive influx of cash as landlords avail of ‘de-risked’ social home leasing initiatives
Data Protection Commission says it is ‘unfit for purpose’ and in need of ‘radical’ changeThe data watchdog, which has come in for criticism from France and Germany, says delays in reforming it would pose a risk to Ireland’s international standing and economic prosperity
McEntee’s husband wants more men to take six months of parental leavePaul Hickey, the spouse of the Minister for Justice, has been granted the time off to raise their baby son by his employer, pharma firm Novartis Ireland
Cathal Mac Coille: After the talking, now it is time to act on gender equality issuesThere is general agreement on the recommendations by the Citizens’ Assembly on maternity leave and home care, but how to pay for it is a question that can‘t be shirked
