Laws to allow unpaid water bills be deducted from people’s wages or dole were passed by the Seanad, despite warnings the moves may affect employment prospects or result in personal financial details being revealed in court.

Ó Ríordáin ‘expects’ referendum on blasphemy this year

The Junior Justice Minister says he hopes to start making changes to the asylum seeker process by next Easter.

Junior justice minister Kathleen Lynch is warning people that they can't save their homes from being repossessed by putting them into trusts.

Comedian Alan Carr was condemned as “sick and insensitive” by a British government minister today for dedicating a comedy award to kidnapper Karen Matthews.

PUBLIC order hot-spots, including dance venues, late-night takeaways and taxi ranks are being targeted by gardaí with extra uniformed patrols set to go on the beat.

MORE than a quarter of the country’s 166 TDs are landlords, owning 112 properties for rent between them.

Junior Justice Minister Frank Fahey has reportedly asked gardaí to investigate what he claims is a political vendetta to undermine him in the next general election.

Cormac O’Keeffe

A GOVERNMENT-appointed task force is needed to tackle the growing levels of sexual and domestic violence, the Labour Party said last night.

PARENTS will be allowed to take unpaid Parental Leave until their child is eight years old — up from the previous maximum of five years of age.

THE group of Travellers wreaking havoc in Limerick and accused of gang raping eight local women must be evicted from their council houses by court order, Junior Justice Minister Willie O’Dea insisted yesterday.

EVIDENCE deemed inadmissible in Judge Brian Curtin’s collapsed court case may be viewed by the committee examining his impeachment.

THE Government was accused last night of deliberately shelving new disability laws until after the forthcoming local and European elections.

A GARDA chief in Limerick admitted yesterday he feared for the safety of his officers from heavily armed gangs.

THE Government cannot provide an “open cheque book for people with disabilities” because there would be no money left for cancer or heart patients, Junior Justice Minister Willie O’Dea said last night.

PARENTS who fail to control their children can be fined up to €3,000 under new powers which come into force from today.

Political Reporter

Senior Government officials are investigating allegations that gardaí turned a blind eye to a major prostitution ring in order to gain information on more serious crimes, it was confirmed tonight.

It would be shameful if this country was responsible for blocking the UN Treaty on the Rights of the Disabled, which already has the support of the other 14 member states of the EU.

IRELAND’S failure to publicly support a proposed UN treaty on the rights of people with disabilities could jeopardise the entire treaty, a leading law professor will tell an Oireachtas committee today.

TRANSFERRING killer Malcolm MacArthur to an open prison would be illogical unless other elements of the pre-release programme are put in place, according to a prison reform group.

The Junior Justice Minister Willie O'Dea is insisting that the planned new Garda Inspectorate will have all the powers of the police ombudsman.

LOCAL TD and Junior Justice Minister Willie O’Dea last night blamed the loss of €3m worth of business to Shannon airport on the recent protest attacks on US military aircraft.

LIMERICK’s crime crisis can be blamed on the Government’s failure to fulfil its election promise to recruit 2,000 extra gardaí, opposition parties claimed last night.

THE Irish Traveller Movement has raised concerns about signals from the Government that it is considering change to the way equality cases involving publicans are handled.

PUBLICANS will get new protection in dealing with abusive and violent customers under laws to be published in January, Junior Justice Minister Willie O’Dea said yesterday.

TRAVELLERS will find it harder to take claims against publicans who refuse them service under new procedures to be put to government today.

THE fragile truce between publicans and Travellers in the row over the right to service is again under threat.

FINANCE Minister Charlie McCreevy was accused of misrepresenting the state of the nation’s finances before the general election.

Carl O’Brien, Political Correspondent

Publicans in Westport are refusing to lift a ban on travellers drinking in their pubs.

PUBLICANS have promised there will be no nationwide blanket ban on serving Travellers following peace talks aimed at resolving the dispute.

THE Equality Authority has warned against any attempt to water down legislation at the centre of publicans’ protests against Travellers.