A sideways glance at the political year gone by.

Justice and Equality Minister Alan Shatter has welcomed an announcement that a government-supported programme has helped hundreds of immigrants here to get jobs.

THERE are few points in human interaction where belief systems confront each other as regularly or as sharply as in the issues surrounding immigration or the granting of citizenship to foreign nationals.

LABOUR last night branded Government moves to block its civil union proposals “shameful” as the Dáil debated same sex marriage for the first time.