Posts tagged ‘Statute summary’
Statute summary: Legal Services Regulation Bill
Monday, November 7th, 2011Purpose: to provide the statutory framework for the independent regulation of solicitors and barristers, to make legal costs more transparent and to ensure adequate procedures for addressing consumer complaints. The controversial Legal Services Regulation Bill was published on 12 October and outlines the creation of three new entities: • a Legal Services Regulatory Authority to regulate both legal professions; • an Office of the Legal Costs Adjudicator to be a more transparent replacement of the Office of the Taxing-Master; and • an independent Legal Practitioners Disciplinary...[full story]
Statute summary: Criminal Justice Bill 2011
Friday, August 19th, 2011Purpose: to strengthen Garda powers of investigation into white collar crime and to allow the 24-hour detention period to be separated into segments. Those found guilty of serious white collar crime, “rather than doing community service, should exchange the cufflinks for handcuffs,” claimed Justice Minister Alan Shatter following a Dáil debate on the Bill’s second stage on 23 June. A Garda investigation is currently underway into Anglo Irish Bank and the Minister hopes this Bill will strengthen the powers of An Garda Síochana in that case and in future investigations. It would...[full story]
Statute summary: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Donations) Bill
Friday, May 13th, 2011Purpose: to amend the Electoral Acts and to implement political funding commitments set out in the Programme for Government. Despite a dry title, the Electoral Amendment (Political Donations) Bill has the potential to provide major electoral reform in Ireland. The crux of the bill is to effectively ban corporate donations, set new rules for political funding and impose lower thresholds, above which donations have to be declared. Based on recommendations from the Moriarty Tribunal, the Bill was presented to the Dáil by Fianna Fáil on 7 April. Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore told members that...[full story]
Statute summary: Education (Amendment) Bill
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010Purpose: to allow vocational education committees to set up primary schools. If the Bill is passed, the state will take a more active role in setting up primary schools, just as it has done at secondary level. In addition, the number of vocational education committees (VEC’s) is being reduced from 33 to 16 in order to cut local government spending, therefore the 16 VEC’s will be “stronger ad better placed to provide support to schools.” Its current role is confined to helping patrons, primarily from the Catholic Church, to set them up. Problems can arise where a patron is unwilling...[full story]
