The Irish Government needs to be aware of the “trade-offs” resulting from tighter regulation of harmful online communication, a senior Facebook official has said.

Consultants at EY were paid €2.9m for their advice in the restructuring of the Department of Justice, TDs will be told today.

The Policing Authority is ordering a review of the Garda adult caution scheme, in which adults are given a caution, rather than prosecuted in the courts, for less serious crimes.

Legislators need to define what “harmful communication” is before they try and address the problem in laws, a legal expert has said.

Irish governments are breaching the constitutional rights of children by failing to introduce, and implement, laws to protect them from online harms, a leading cyber-psychologist has said.

The Oireachtas Justice Committee heard claims that the industry is currently a “wild west”, where multinational corporations are earning “billions” of euro without any of the legal regulation governing traditional industries.

The legal ban on courts refusing bail to people facing domestic violence charges needs to be reviewed by the Government, according to Women’s Aid.

The nine Garda divisions that have lost their divisional headquarters have been revealed following an announcement by Garda HQ.

Minister of State John Halligan has joined fellow political representatives from Waterford in calling on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to ensure the city is the new headquarters of the planned merger with the Kilkenny/Carlow division.

The civil rights bodies claim that there has been an increase in passport checks, which they said follows assurances from both governments that there would be no return to a hard border.

On Brexit, the commissioner told members that he “entirely refuted” suggestions that there was no Garda planning for Brexit, saying there was a “high state of preparation”.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris says crimes will be investigated quicker and there will be more gardaí on the frontline in an overhaul of divisions and roles in the force.

The Government has introduced legal provisions, including sharing of biometric data for travel visas, in preparation for a no-deal Brexit.

The Government has introduced legal provisions, including sharing of biometric data for travel visas, in preparation for a no-deal Brexit.

An expert group has submitted its report on changing the State’s response to drug possession. The Cabinet is due to discuss proposals based on the report tomorrow. Security Correspondent Cormac O'Keefe has obtained a copy and examines its findings.

Just 27% of Irish companies say they have a gender pay gap.

The Garda Commissioner has said a 'limited number' of cases similar to that of former Garda Majella Moynihan have been uncovered.

Up to 140 people and organisations are calling for radical changes to Ireland's direct-provision system.

The State’s expert legal body is to examine the law regarding the inclusion of victims’ sexual history in trials and the high attrition rate in sexual offences cases.

The justice system and reformers must work hand in glove to restore the public’s trust after years of scandals, writes Donncha O’Connell

Farmers, homeowners and businesses are being urged to use Eircodes to combat rural crime.

A new system, which may be introduced this year, promises to be able to track sightings of suspected roaming criminals nationwide.

More community police officers are needed to stop young people in rural areas being recruited by gangs according to the Oireachtas Justice Committee.

There are “large gaps” in local state services that are creating a barrier for effective community policing, an Oireachtas committee has said.

The publication of the report comes as a State-appointed group here finalises its recommendations to the Government on possible changes to our laws on possession.

The Oireachtas justice committee has expressed caution about using electronic tagging for sex offenders, saying evidence on its effectiveness is “mixed”.

Gardaí targeting dissident republicans have uncovered a significant cache of explosives and arms along the border, in the second linked operation since the start of February.

The Government is to introduce legal measures to ensure that the high level of data exchange between Gardaí and the PSNI – which reached almost 70,000 pieces of information last year – will continue if there is a “crash out” Brexit.

The Oireachtas Justice Committee will tomorrow be asked to consider establishing a specialist division of courts as part of family law reform.

Shortcomings in the Garda’s Youth Diversion Programme (YDP) — designed to keep at-risk juveniles out of trouble, and the public safer — were revealed last month, when an internal review of the system came to an alarming conclusion: Some 3,500 juveniles responsible for almost 7,900 crimes over an eight-year period starting in 2010 escaped prosecution.

The high-profile Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has come under fire from another committee for straying beyond its remit and inquiring into areas in the prison services.

A State committee examining Ireland’s laws on the possession of drugs for personal use is thought to be favouring a diversion scheme, the Irish Examiner understands.

The Probation Service and Rape Crisis Network Ireland have backed draft laws regarding the disclosure of information, electronic tagging and restricting foreign travels of convicted sex offenders.

Garda commissioner Drew Harris has expressed fears that dissident republicans would use a hard border post-Brexit as a “rallying call” for terrorism.

Replacing the ‘women in the home’ provision in the Constitution with a broad reference to all carers could lead to a spate of compensation claims against the State, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Drew Harris is quietly spoken. That much has been made clear by people close to him, writes Cormac O'Keeffe

There are fresh hopes of an autumn referendum on removing from the Constitution a reference to a woman’s place being in the home.

Specialist agencies are to have their powers boosted under new anti-money laundering and terrorist financing laws.

Rapists and other serious sex offenders released from prison may be electronically tagged in an attempt to prevent further attacks under Government plans set to be revealed today.

In a society happy to take refuge in secrecy, an honest reckoning does not come easily.

Women who worked in St Finbarr’s Industrial School and Marymount Training Centre in Cork are among those who may benefit from the Government decision to extend its Magdalene laundries redress scheme to 14 additional institutions.

Member of the public are being asked by the Government what alternative approaches should there be for people caught in possession of drugs for personal use.

The head of the Garda Inspectorate has said it needs to have the power to conduct unannounced spot checks on Garda stations and “not to have to make an appointment to visit”.

The acting Garda commissioner will today admit that gardaí “overlooked” revisiting or upgrading a number of investigations into suspicious deaths which has resulted in the homicide data debacle.