vLex Ireland

The Financial Provisions (Covid-19) (No. 2) Bill 2020 has completed Seanad Éireann, Fifth Stage. View here.

The Courts Service of Ireland has announced that a new online application process for grants of probate and letters of administration is set to be rolled out from September. View here.

The Supreme Court of Ireland has dismissed the appeal of a Detective Garda who was convicted of the harassment of a State solicitor. [2020] IESC 45.

Businesses are now prohibited from transferring employee personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA) to the U.S. under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield program. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) declared the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield invalid in Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook Ireland and Schrems (C-311/18) (Schrems II), effective immediately. Businesses that... (See Article)

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Europe’s restrictive data protection law, permits the transfer of personal data from the European Economic Area1 (EEA) to other countries only under limited circumstances. On July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU or Court) issued a highly anticipated decision in a case brought by... (See Article)

On July 7, the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield framework in its ruling in Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (Case C-311/18). More than 5,000 organizations in the United States have certified their adherence to this framework, and have relied on it to receive... (See Article)

The Supreme Court of Ireland has ruled in a landmark judgment that a marriage is not void in law just because the Minister of Justice has found it to be a marriage of convenience. [2020] IESC 48.

The Courts Service of Ireland has announced the official roll-out of its new website next week. The new website has been accessible for some time at beta.courts.ie alongside the existing site. From Wednesday 5 August, the old site will no longer be available. View here.

On 16 July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) published its decision in the landmark case Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland Ltd, Maximilian Schrems and intervening parties, Case C-311/18 (known as the Schrems II case).  While the EU-US Privacy Shield (Privacy Shield) has been completely invalidated, the Standard Contractual Clauses... (See Article)

Almost half of people surveyed in Ireland are at risk of getting sick from eating undercooked hamburgers. A total of 45 percent of respondents are risking illness from eating undercooked burgers because they don’t cook them to high enough temperatures to kill pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. Safefood’s Well Done BBQ Burger campaign... (See Article)

The Health (Amendment) (Professional Home Care) Bill 2020 has completed Dáil Éireann, First Stage. View here.

The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020 has completed Dáil Éireann, First Stage. View here.

The Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2020 has completed Dáil Éireann, Fifth Stage. View here.

The Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Bill 2020 has completed Seanad Éireann, First Stage. View here.

The Courts Service of Ireland launched the Annual Report for 2019 on 22nd July 2020. View here.

A survey in Ireland has found the majority of dried herbs and spices are safe but a small percentage may be contaminated with pathogens. Between August and the end of November 2017, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), Environmental Health Service and Official Food Microbiology Laboratory Group of the Health Service Executive (HSE) investigated... (See Article)

On July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) published its decision in the matter of Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (“Schrems II”). The matter, arising from the transfer of Schrems’ personal data by Facebook Ireland to Facebook Inc. in the United States, presented questions concerning the... (See Article)

Lay members have been appointed to a number of Judicial Council of Ireland committees and nominated for the panel of inquiry. View here.

The High Court of Ireland has granted an injunction against a quarry operating near the Leannan River Special Area of Conservation. [2020] IEHC 349.

Ireland has been ordered to pay €2 million to the European Commission for delays in implementing the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive into national law in full. View here.

The Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020 has completed Seanad Éireann, Fifth Stage. View here.

The National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020 has completed Dáil Éireann, Fifth Stage. View here.

Today, the Court of Justice of the EU has handed down its judgment in the highly-anticipated Facebook Ireland case (aka Schrems II) and invalidated the Privacy Shield Decision. For those of you who have followed this case, the CJEU took a “left turn at Albuquerque” in its decision since the primary contention of Mr. Schrems... (See Article)

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) handed down its judgment on a case brought by privacy rights activist, Max Schrems (C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook Ireland Limited, Maximillian Schrems) (Schrems II) yesterday, July 16, 2020. The case concerned the transfer of personal data to recipients in the United States via the EU... (See Article)

In a highly-anticipated landmark judgment handed down on July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the “CJEU”) in Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (“Schrems II”, summarised in part 3. below and the full text of which can be accessed here) has: invalidated the European Commission Decision 2016/1250... (See Article)

US tech giant Apple did not receive illegal state aid from Ireland and does not have to pay €14 billion in back taxes, the General Court of the European Union has ruled. View here.

The former Attorney General of Ireland, Séamus Woulfe SC, has been nominated by ministers for appointment to the Supreme Court. View here.

Maura McNally SC has been elected as chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, succeeding Mícheál P. O’Higgins SC after two years in the post. View here.

The Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2020 has completed Dáil Éireann, First Stage. View here.

The owner of a fishing vessel has lost his appeal in an action taken against the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The Court of Appeal agreed with the High Court that the proceedings should have been taken by way of judicial review. [2020] IECA 186.