THE Witness Protection Programme needs to be upgraded in the fight against crime, Dáil Public Accounts Committee chairman Michael Noonan said yesterday.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell has said it "may make sense" for the Gardaí not to pursue prosecutions for minor possession of cannabis.

DEMOCRACY and a legal right to due process under the courts has been trampled recently. Ironically, it was done by the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, who is meant to be the guardian of legal justice for all in Ireland.

The Progressive Democrats, who celebrate 19 years in politics today, plan a major recruitment drive in 2005 to sustain the party’s future.

The Tánaiste Mary Harney is playing down the latest controversy over the deal between the Government and the religious orders on the compensation for child abuse victims.