'Honest mistake' defence subject of March pollThe Government is planning to address the fallout of the statutory rape crisis in a referendum next March which would propose…Tue Jan 16 2007 - 00:00
Public asked to back campaign to end homelessnessMembers of the public are being urged to sign up to a campaign to end homelessness by the end of the decade.Tue Jan 16 2007 - 00:00
State pays to repatriate 646 destitute immigrantsAlmost 650 central and eastern Europeans were repatriated for free last year under a Government scheme aimed at assisting destitute…Mon Jan 15 2007 - 00:00
'Growing Up in Ireland' to monitor 18,000 childrenThe largest-ever study on child development in Ireland is due to get under way in the coming weeks by following the progress …Thu Jan 11 2007 - 00:00
Call for more child protectionThe Constitution should be amended to ensure the courts can intervene more appropriately in cases where the welfare of a child…Wed Jan 10 2007 - 00:00
Special Olympics Ireland launches fundraising driveSpecial Olympics Ireland has launched a €5 million fund-raising campaign to prepare a team for the next World Games in China …Wed Jan 10 2007 - 00:00
CASE STUDY: Susan Murray looks backSusan Murray remembers shedding a tear as she watched the Olympic flame going out during the closing ceremonies of the Special…Wed Jan 10 2007 - 00:00
Money lenders' licences to be reviewed every yearThe Government is planning to change the way money lenders are regulated to help ensure those who charge excessive interest rates…Tue Jan 09 2007 - 00:00
Returning emigrants refused benefitsHundreds of Irish people are being refused welfare benefits under restrictions introduced by the Government aimed at preventing…Tue Jan 09 2007 - 00:00
Major disparities in value of welfare paymentsMajor inconsistencies in the value of emergency welfare payments for people experiencing financial hardship have been uncovered…Sat Jan 06 2007 - 00:00
Ombudsman for Children urges constitutional reformThe Constitution should be changed to lower the threshold for State intervention in marital families where there are child protection…Sat Jan 06 2007 - 00:00
Changes backed in rent supplement schemeA major Government review of welfare benefits has recommended sweeping changes to the rent supplement scheme which has increased…Fri Jan 05 2007 - 00:00
Middle income earners in debt - agencyA growing number of people on middle incomes are seeking help with debt problems due to their inability to maintain heavy borrowing…Fri Jan 05 2007 - 00:00
Youth cafes focus of new policyPlans to establish youth cafes in communities across the State form the centrepiece of a new Government strategy on recreation…Thu Jan 04 2007 - 00:00
Lenihan to give €15m for childcare servicesThe Government has announced it will provide €15 million this year for training courses and other supports aimed at promoting…Wed Jan 03 2007 - 00:00
Record number of houses and apartments builtA record number of houses and apartments were built last year, official figures to be published shortly will show.Tue Jan 02 2007 - 00:00
Asbos come into force on MondayControversial new Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbos) for adults are due to come into force on Monday, the Government will announce…Fri Dec 29 2006 - 00:00
No change to definition of the family in children's rights pollThe Government is to avoid changing the constitutional definition of the family in the planned referendum on children's rights…Wed Dec 27 2006 - 00:00
Hospitals to close as psychiatric admissions fall furtherLarge public psychiatric hospitals will be ready to close within three years due to a major reduction in the number of admissions…Fri Dec 22 2006 - 00:00
Passports on demand plan criticisesdGovernment plans that would require foreign nationals to produce a passport, residence permit or biometric data on demand from…Thu Dec 21 2006 - 00:00
State to let transsexuals alter gender in passportsTranssexuals will be able to have their gender changed in new Irish passports in what will be the first statutory recognition…Tue Dec 19 2006 - 00:00
Mandatory sentencing and bail applications: how they work nowMandatory sentencing: Under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act (1999), any person convicted of an offence related to the …Sat Dec 16 2006 - 00:00
Young population, longer life span lead to fall in death rateThe number of deaths in the Republic has fallen to a record low due to a combination of the high proportion of young people resident…Fri Dec 15 2006 - 00:00
Women in Republic have most children in EU - CSOWomen in the Republic are having more children than those in any other EU state despite high childcare costs and record numbers…Thu Dec 14 2006 - 00:00
Action urged to ensure women go into politicsWomen's groups have called on the Government to introduce legislation that would ensure a more equal representation of men and…Thu Dec 14 2006 - 00:00
Plight of asylum children highlightedPoor standards of accommodation and support for unaccompanied young people seeking asylum have contributed to the disappearance…Tue Dec 12 2006 - 00:00
Age of consent controversy threatens referendum planGovernment plans to hold a referendum which would address the fallout of the statutory rape crisis are likely to be shelved until…Mon Dec 11 2006 - 00:00
Report calls for child care system reformThe care system for separated young people seeking asylum needs to be reformed to ensure children are properly protected, according…Mon Dec 11 2006 - 00:00
Monthly benefit for all children up €10Childcare: Child benefit will increase by €10 a month for all children from next April, bringing the payment up to €160 a month…Thu Dec 07 2006 - 00:00
Welfare groups give a mixed reactionAnti-poverty campaigners and children's rights groups gave a mixed response to yesterday's Budget.Thu Dec 07 2006 - 00:00
B of I to discontinue affinity credit cards for charityBank of Ireland is phasing out a range of charity-linked affinity credit cards because it says it is not economically viable …Wed Dec 06 2006 - 00:00
HSE chief counters Minister's waiting list remarksThe Health Service Executive (HSE) has distanced itself from comments made by Minister of State for Health Tim O'Malley, who …Wed Dec 06 2006 - 00:00
Solicitor of murdered Latvian woman returns to legal practiceThe solicitor of murdered Latvian mother-of-two Baiba Saulite has returned to his legal practice in Swords, Co Dublin after spending…Tue Dec 05 2006 - 00:00
Minister's remarks on waiting lists angers psychiatristsSome children with mental health problems are waiting over four years to get a psychiatric assessment despite evidence that long…Tue Dec 05 2006 - 00:00
Migrants' right to payment raised a month after budgetGovernment officials only appear to have realised that the €1,000-a-year childcare supplement was also payable to children of…Tue Dec 05 2006 - 00:00
McDowell defends status for cohabiting couplesGovernment plans to give greater recognition in law to cohabiting couples will not threaten or undermine the institution of marriage…Sat Dec 02 2006 - 00:00
Mixed response on age of consent issue from child protection bodiesThe Oireachtas committee's recommendation to lower the age of sexual consent for boys and girls to 16 attracted a mixed response…Fri Dec 01 2006 - 00:00
Restrict unwed couples' benefits - reportCohabiting couples should only be able to avail of tax and inheritance benefits similar to those available to married couples…Fri Dec 01 2006 - 00:00
Amnesty establishes new mental health lobby groupA newly-formed mental health lobbying organisation will today call on the Government to spell out how it plans to fund and implement…Tue Nov 28 2006 - 00:00
Ferry group pays eastern Europeans €2 an hour, says unionEastern Europeans employed on a ferry that operates between Dublin and the United Kingdom (UK) are being paid just over €2 an…Sat Nov 25 2006 - 00:00
Free access to GPs for all to cost €700m at 2004 prices, says reportThe cost of providing free GP access to the entire population for a year would be similar to the cost of the Government buying…Fri Nov 24 2006 - 00:00
Cost of full rights for cohabiters over ¬2bnThe cost of providing greater fairness between married and cohabiting couples in the area of tax could cost the State in excess…Fri Nov 24 2006 - 00:00
Campaign to highlight domestic violence launchedMore than 500 women and 1,000 children sought refuge from domestic violence last year in the Dublin area, new figures indicate…Fri Nov 24 2006 - 00:00
Most back legal recognition for gay couples, poll showsMore than eight out of 10 people believe same-sex couples should be given some form of legal recognition, according to a Lansdowne…Fri Nov 24 2006 - 00:00
Improved terms for cohabiting couples proposedThe Government is considering a range of options which would provide for greater fairness between married and cohabiting couples…Thu Nov 23 2006 - 00:00
Swim Ireland'spolicies on abuse 'in place'Swim Ireland, the national governing body for swimming, said yesterday it has implemented all the recommendations of an independent…Thu Nov 23 2006 - 00:00
Social welfare not meeting modern needs, says research The income gapMost households on social welfare or the minimum wage do not have enough income to sustain a basic standard of living, new research…Wed Nov 22 2006 - 00:00
Poverty level nearing a 'floor' - CSOThe Government has been told by independent experts that the level of consistent poverty is approaching a "floor" and that it…Tue Nov 21 2006 - 00:00
Medical students seek right to wear hijabsMuslim students have asked health authorities to ensure that female medical students are allowed to wear a hijab or headscarf…Tue Nov 21 2006 - 00:00
Plan to tag offenders proceedsMinister for Justice Michael McDowell has introduced enabling provisions in law which allow for the electronic tagging of offenders…Mon Nov 20 2006 - 00:00
