vLex Ireland

Authorities in Ireland and New Zealand have issued warnings about consumption of collected shellfish in the past week. The Marine Institute in Ireland detected amounts of naturally occurring compounds in shellfish that can cause illness in consumers. Increased levels have been found in recent weeks during a routine nationwide shellfish monitoring program along the South... (See Article)

The Legal Services Regulatory Authority has opened applications for solicitors and barristers to apply to the advisory committee on patents of precedence to use the title of senior counsel. View here.

The Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill 2020 has completed the first stage of Dáil Éireann. View here.

The Courts Service of Ireland has published a notice stating that with effect from Monday the 6th of July 2020 urgent Common Law ex parte applications will be heard. View here.

The Courts Service of Ireland has published a notice stating that Motions which were originally listed for hearing in the Common Law List on the 23rd March 2020 will now be heard over four days commencing Tuesday 7th July 2020. View here.

The Courts Service of Ireland has published a notice stating that a Registrar has been assigned to sit in a Court on Monday 6th July 2020 to deal with consent applications in respect of motions originally listed for hearing in the Common Law List on the 30th March 2020. View here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended global business, but European regulators say it won’t stop them from promoting privacy and data protection, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. “What’s clear about the regulators’ enforcement strategies is that they each intend to keep pushing data protection forward, knowing its general importance is only growing as... (See Article)

Half of people worried about food affordability have eaten cooked meats and bagged salad past their use by dates, according to a Food Standards Agency survey monitoring behavior during the coronavirus pandemic. The monthly tracker looked at attitudes, experience and behaviors of consumers on food in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Further surveys are planned... (See Article)

The High Court of Ireland has ruled that Seanad Éireann can only meet after all 60 members have been elected or nominated. The Seanad is comprised of 49 elected members and eleven members have been nominated by a new Taoiseach. [2020] IEHC 313.

The title of this post is the title of this new book authored by Graeme Brown for which I received an announce from the publisher offering a discount for SL&P readers.  Here are the details: This book presents an in-depth comparative study of sentencing practice for rape in six common law jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland,... (See Article)

Meath East TD Helen McEntee has been named as Minister for Justice in the new coalition government which formally took office over the weekend. Press comment on the coalition formation can be found here.

Motions which were originally listed for hearing in the High Court of Ireland Common Law List on the 16th March 2020 will now be heard over four days on week commencing Monday 29th June 2020. View here.

The Court of Appeal of Ireland has dismissed an appeal taken by a Garda criticised by the Disclosures Tribunal. The appeal was brought from the judgment of the High Court primarily on the issue of objective bias. [2020] IECA 168.

The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton TD published the National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill on Monday 22nd June. Details of the announcement can be found here

The Supreme Court of Ireland has found that two people who came to Ireland as refugees but were subsequently naturalised as Irish citizens were unlawfully denied access to the family reunification scheme. In his judgment, Mr Justice John MacMenamin rejected the Minister for Justice’s interpretation of the Refugee Act 1996, setting out that such an interpretation would lead to substantial legislative uncertainty when the purpose of the Act was to achieve clarity. The ruling recognises the European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence on the rights of refugees to family unity. [2020] IESC 32.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine has taken up her new role as president of the High Court of Ireland after making her constitutional declaration in a small ceremony overseen by Chief Justice Frank Clarke. The ceremony was filmed by the Courts Service of Ireland and uploaded to YouTube on Friday evening. View here.

The Courts Service of Ireland’s COVID-19 Response Team has launched a new COVID-19 Court Users’ video for those attending court during the COVID-19 pandemic. The video can be accessed here.

Just when we thought our summers might have been looking a bit dull, it was announced that the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) will be making its final ruling in Case C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland & Schrems on 16 July 2020.  This judgement concerns the legality of the European... (See Article)

The High Court of Ireland has remitted the disability employment claim of a prison officer employed by the Irish Prison Service to the Labour Court. Mr Justice Barr held that the appellant was not given the opportunity to make his case that he could perform the functions required of him if reasonable accommodation were made for him, which was not unduly burdensome to the employer and did not impair the operational capacity of the emergency service concerned. [2020] IEHC 282.

The Courts Service of Ireland has published a notice of adjournment. The Examiner’s Court List of Monday 22nd June 2020 has been cancelled. All motions listed for that date have been put back to Monday 20th July 2020. View here.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine of the Supreme Court of Ireland has been nominated by government ministers as the next President of the High Court. The Law Society of Ireland has congratulated her on her nomination. Details of the statement can be found View here.

The Government of Ireland has appointed Mr Philip O’Leary as Chairperson of the Property Services Appeal Board. Details of the appointment can be found View here.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) has announced that it will deliver its judgment in what has become known as the Schrems II case (Case 311/18 Facebook Ireland and Schrems) on 16th July 2020. The judgment will determine the validity of the Standard Contractual Clauses (or Model Clauses) (SCCs) as a transfer... (See Article)

Irish authorities have closed an unregistered business for selling meat judged to be unfit to eat. Jair Lopes Muniz of JLM Foods and JLM Family Butchers on Main Street Tyrrellspass, Westmeath, was served with a closure order in May. The small meat manufacturing plant was not registered or approved by authorities for operations taking place,... (See Article)

The Courts Service of Ireland has published a new High Court Practice Direction – Lodgment of a court document by non-personal delivery at the Central Office of the High Court. View here.

The Supreme Court has handed down judgment in the matter of X v Minister for Justice & Equality & others. In the judgment, the Court reversed an earlier High Court ruling regarding the definition of “child” as used in s. 56(9)(d) of the International Protection Act 2015. The Court stated that the word “child” could only be a reference to a biological/adoptive child of the sponsor. Details of the judgment can be found here.

Irish law firm Matheson has announced a new partnership with online platform provider InsideSherpa to deliver its virtual summer internship programme. View here.

The Supreme Court of Ireland has granted declaratory reliefs to a woman who claimed that her constitutional and ECHR rights were breached when the clinical director of the Central Mental Hospital declined to facilitate variations to the conditions of her release. The Court held that she is not entitled to damages for breach of her constitutional rights, but it invited submissions as to whether she is entitled to damages for breach of her rights under the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003. [2020] IESC 28.

Nearly 450 trainee solicitors are undertaking the Law Society of Ireland’s inaugural online Professional Practice Course II (PPC II). View here.

The Courts Service of Ireland has published the Annual Licensing dates for 2020. View here.