News

Hundreds of people have volunteered to be locked up in a brand-new prison as part of a test run for the facility. The new prison in Zurich, Switzerland has capacity for 241 remand prisoners, but authorities decided to test the facility on local volunteers before it opens in April, Swissinfo reports.

Maura McNally SC, chair of the Bar Council, has been appointed as chair of the governing body of Atlantic Technological University (ATU). ATU will become Ireland's fourth technological university upon opening its doors in April, absorbing three existing institutes of technology: Galway-Mayo Institut

Complaints about a refusal to enter a licensed premises should be heard in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) rather than the District Court, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. In a newly-published review of the adequacy and effectiveness of section 19 of the Intoxicating Liquor A

The Child Law Project (CCLRP) has identified the lack of secure and step-down placements, mental health concerns, unaccompanied minors and parental neglect as the key features of its latest volume of reports of cases where the State sought orders to take children into or keep them in care. Severe me

A public inquiry into the wrongful convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses begins today. Between 2000 and 2014, more than 700 sub-postmasters were convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud due to a fault in the Horizon computer system.

Matheson has announced the appointment of partner Shane Hogan as head of the firm's tax practice. Mr Hogan, who joined Matheson in 2000, advises international corporations doing business in and from Ireland on all aspects of corporate tax.

Professor Joan Loughrey has been appointed as head of Queen's University Belfast (QUB) School of Law. She joins QUB from the University of Leeds, where she served as interim head of the school of law from 2020 until 2021. She also served as deputy head of school there from 2013 to 2019, and as direc

The greatest hits of Barry Manilow have been weaponised against protesters by authorities in New Zealand – as well as a sprinkler system. Anti-vaxxers have set up camp outside the country's parliament, which has started playing music on a loop through its speakers in a bid to disperse them.

Northern Ireland could be stuck with its current Covid-19 restrictions for some time in the absence of a fully-functioning Executive to make decisions on relaxing them, it has emerged. The Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act 2022, which came into force earlier this m

Up to three people will be allowed to visit prisoners with effect from Monday, the Irish Prison Service has announced. Prison visits have been subject to various restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the prison service confirmed that up to three visitors – which may include two childr

The Irish government should establish an Office of Tax Reform modelled on the UK's Office of Tax Simplification, the British Irish Chamber of Commerce (BICC) has said. In a submission to the Commission on Taxation and Welfare, the BICC said the proposed body would recommend and advise the government

The Charities Regulator has appointed inspectors to carry out a statutory investigation into the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA). The watchdog said "a number of concerns ... in relation to governance at the ISPCA" were raised with it between March and June 2021.

Speaking at the Institute for Government last week, former UK prime minister John Major issued an important warning on the rule of law. We republish an extract from his speech below. Our way of life is built around the maintenance of law. The public expects our government to work within the law and

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is facing a legal attempt to deprive it of its status as an independent group following its advice on transgender rights. LGBT charities want the United Nations to demote the EHRC after it called for a pause on proposed reforms to the Gender Recognitio

A black QC has called for wigs to be banned from court following an incident in which another barrister was told he must wear one or face disciplinary action. Leslie Thomas QC said wigs were “fashioned for caucasian hair” and look “ridiculous” on black barristers.