LAST month, the European Parliament passed a new EU law designed to make traffickers in human beings face tougher penalties for their crime and to ensure victims would be entitled to better protection and assistance.

MANDATORY reporting of suspected child abuse may not lead to more cases being tackled, while inquiries into some child abuse cases are not sufficiently independent or transparent, according to a new report by the government-appointed Rapporteur on Child Protection.

Politicians will debate the lack of inspections of CIA flights landing at Shannon Airport when the Dáil meets today.