Delay of a decade in passing covert surveillance laws

LAWS allowing for the use of covert surveillance are now likely to be passed more than a decade after they were first promised, in the aftermath of the Veronica Guerin murder.

And they were also promised by the-then Justice Minister, Brian Lenihan, 18 months ago amid a huge growth of gangland and gun crimes in Dublin and Limerick.

He made the announcement at the Garda graduation ceremony in Templemore in November 2007 and said it was a response to immense pressure on gardaí to deal with the “unprecedented number” of organised crime gangs.