Barring order system ruled unconstitutional

The Supreme Court has ruled that the system by which a spouse can get a temporary barring order without informing his or her partner is in breach of the Irish Constitution.

The court ruled that the system deprives the subject of such orders of their right to be heard, one of the central maxims of natural justice.

Commenting on the ruling, Ray Kelly from the Unmarried and Separated Parents of Ireland group said his organisation has made repeated attempts to tell the Government that the system was unjustified and a breach of civil rights.

He added that all other aspects of family law should also be reassessed.