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Justice minister Frances Fitzgerald TD Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has published draft legislation that will "make marriage equality a reality in Ireland".

Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers The secretary of state for Northern Ireland has said "serious consideration" should be given to the re-establishment of a body along the lines of the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC).

Kathleen Lynch, minister of state for mental health A campaigner for mental health law reform has said she will continue to argue for changes to the Mental Health Act 2001, despite a report concluding the death of her husband was not preventable.

Book and newspaper retailer Eason has agreed to donate €1,000 to a suicide prevention charity in order to avoid a criminal conviction for selling cigarettes to a minor. The Health Service Executive (HSE) brought action against the chain in Dublin District Court, alleging that it had committed an o

Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter The Taoiseach's office has been accused of "secretly engaging" with barrister Seán Guerin while he was conducting an independent inquiry into Gardaí whistleblower allegations.

Justice minister Frances Fitzgerald TD The President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, has announced his retirement in December 2015 - four months earlier than expected.

Facebook has settled out of court after a father in Northern Ireland took the social media giant to court for failing to enforce its age restrictions, enabling a man to contact his daughter, then 11, and exchange photos with her “of a sexual nature”. The girl set up numerous accounts to contact

Lady Rae At the High Court in Glasgow today, Lady Rae, sentenced Alexander Pacteau, 21, to life imprisonment for his “brutal, senseless” and “motiveless" murder of Irish student Karen Buckley with a punishment part of 23 years after the accused pled guilty to the murder.

Jonathan Smithers Unlawful employment practices will continue to go unpunished unless the tribunal system is overhauled, the Law Society of England and Wales has warned.

A total of 259 alleged sexual offences in schools across Northern Ireland were reported in 2012-15, according to a BBC investigation into school-based sex crimes. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) did not provide a breakdown of the types of sexual offences, but confirmed that 237 of the

Forfar Bridies Two bakers in Angus have launched a bid to secure EU protected food status for the Forfar bridie .

An employee who was fired by text message after querying his rate of pay has been awarded £15,000 at an employment tribunal after the judge found he had been unfairly dismissed. Christopher Hillis, a former chef de partie, at Glasgow restaurant Cail Bruich, was given less than minimum wage and was

Andy Burnham Andy Burnham, one of the candidates for the leadership of the UK Labour Party, has called for Northern Ireland to "take a major step forward" in the arena of human rights.

The man charged with the murder of Irish student Karen Buckley pled guilty at the High Court in Glasgow today. Alexander Pacteau, 21, admitted grabbing Ms Buckley by the neck and hitting her repeatedly with a spanner while sitting in his parked car in the early hours of Sunday 12 April.

Fr Peter McVerry The Oireachtas justice committee has received at least 50 submissions to its consultation on drug decriminalisation, according to The Irish Times.