Law « Thurles Information

Justice Sector Programme Of Commemorative Events Launched For 2022-2024.

Minister McEntee launches justice sector programme of commemorative events for 2022-2024 as part of the Decade of Centenaries’ Programme.

The year 2022 marks centenary of establishment of An Garda Síochána, occupation of Four Courts and enactment of Irish Free State constitution.
‘Justice in Ireland 1822-2022’ symposium to take place on 22nd November this year.
Programme outlines range of commemorative initiatives and events taking place across the justice sector over the coming years as part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme.

The Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee TD, has today launched the justice sector programme of commemorative events for 2022-2024, as part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme.

The Minister stated: “Over the past decade, we have collectively reflected on many of the formative events in the history of our State as part of the Decade of Centenaries. The period which we are now considering saw the foundation of the State and the establishment, or, in some cases, the handing over of many of the institutions and administrative pillars which have served us since then.

Central to this was the justice sector. Indeed, 1922 was a particularly significant year. It saw the foundation of our national police service, An Garda Síochána. It was also, of course, a year which tragically saw the advent of the Civil War and this was reflected in the occupation of the Four Courts, and with it the destruction of the Public Records Office.

Both 1922 and the years that followed saw many developments and transitions, including the end to the revolutionary Dáil Courts regime and the establishment of the Courts system of the new State. These were tumultuous years as the new State came into being. Both the Department of Justice, its forerunner, the Department of Home Affairs, and the various other parts of the justice sector were central to that time and that work.

I hope that the Decade of Centenaries Justice Sector Programme 2022-24 will capture some of the importance of this work, and help bring some new insights and understanding to those years. This must be an open and honest discussion, and throughout we will attempt to consider all aspects of our history – those that are well known, and those which may not have received enough discussion in the past.

I would encourage all those with an interest in these events to join us in that spirit and participate.”

An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service are leading comprehensive programmes of events over the course of this year, to mark the key events of the establishment of An Garda Síochána, the occupation of the Four Courts and the impact which this had on the operation of the Courts at the time, and the development and enactment of the Constitution of the Irish Free State. Details of these events are available in the programme.

A justice sector symposium, titled Justice in Ireland 1822-2022, will take place in the Printworks of Dublin Castle in partnership with an academic institution, on November 22nd.
Falling on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the County Constabulary and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of An Garda Síochána, the symposium will provide an opportunity for a consideration by academics and practitioners of the development of both policing and justice institutions more broadly over that time, including the evolution of the prison and probation services. Further details will be announced over the coming weeks.

The Decade of Centenaries Programme provides a critical opportunity to focus on the development of access to historical records and primary sources from this key period. To this end, the Department intends to commence a number of projects to provide access to records from the early decades of the State. This will include the cataloguing of early 20th century departmental files for release to the National Archives and the commissioning of a written history of the first fifty years of the Department.

In addition to those being announced today, the programme of events and initiatives will continue to develop over the life of the programme. Additions will be announced by the Department or relevant agency via their traditional and online channels.

The Minister concluded: “I would like to thank Dr. Maurice Manning, Chair of the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations and the Group, for the guidance in developing this programme of events and initiatives. I also want to thank theJustice Sector agencies for engaging with my Department to produce a diverse range of sectoral commemorations and to congratulate An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service on their commemorative programmes for this year.
I would encourage members of the public to participate in the Justice Sector commemorations over the coming years and hope that they will find the programme informative and enjoyable in equal measure.”

The programme can be accessed via portable document format (pdf) from the Department of Justice website from HERE.

Personal Injuries Awards Dropped 42% Between April & December 2021.

Awards for personal injuries dropped 42% year-on-year between April and December 2021.
Average general damages awards fell from €21,850 to €11,583.
Consumer must benefit from these savings through reduced insurance costs, Minister states.
Minister will continue to monitor impact of guidelines to ensure they are effective.

The Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee TD has welcomed the publication of the second Personal Injuries Award Values report by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB).

Minister McEntee said: “The PIAB guidelines have had a clear and significant cost saving impact since their introduction, with awards for personal injuries dropping 42% on average year on year between April and December of 2021.
What’s important now is that the consumer feels the benefit of these savings through reduced insurance costs.
My Department will continue to assess the impact of the guidelines to ensure that they are having the desired effect.”

The report shows that the overall average general damages amount for the period of April to December 2021 was €11,583. This represents a drop of 47% on average pre-guidelines general damages of €21,850 in 2020.

The latest drop follows an average reduction of 46% in the last period (April to September 2021).

The PIAB Personal Injuries Award Values report for April – December 2021 is available HERE.

The new Personal Injuries Guidelines came into effect in April 2021 after Minister McEntee secured Cabinet approval in March to amend the Judicial Council Act 2019 and the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003.

Cashel, Co. Tipperary Man Accused Of Involvement In 2016 Dublin Murder.

On yesterday afternoon, a Cashel, Co. Tipperary male resident was charged before the Special Criminal Court, with helping a criminal gang to murder one Mr Christopher (Known as Noel ‘Duck Egg’) Kirwan.
Latter named, and father-of-four, was shot six times, resulting in his death, as he sat in his car, on December 22nd, 2016, at St. Ronan’s Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.

The accused male, named as Mr Michael Crotty, aged 40, holding an address at Slí Aonghusa, Aras na Rí, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, was charged under Section 72 of the Criminal justice Act, with involvement/participation in the murder, between October 20th, 2016 and December 22nd, 2016.

Mr Michael Crotty had been charged at 7:00am on Monday morning in the precincts of the court, before being served with the ‘Book of Evidence’.

Mr Crotty’s Defence solicitor sought a six-week adjournment in the case, which was granted by presiding judge Mr Justice Alex Owens, latter sitting with Judge Martin Nolan and Judge Frank Griffin.

Mr Justice Owens further remanded Mr Crotty in custody; adjourning the case to May 23rd next.

Proceeds Of Crime Fund Open For Applications.

Proceeds of crime fund to support community projects, opened for applications by Minister McEntee.

Money seized from proceeds of crime to be used to support investment in communities.
Community Safety Innovation Fund will have initial allocation of €2million.
Call for applications for innovative ways to improve community safety.

The Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee TD, has today opened applications for a new fund, which will see the proceeds of crime re-invested in local projects to improve community safety.

Reflecting the success of An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau in seizing proceeds from criminal activity, the new fund will use money seized from the proceeds of crime to support investment in community safety projects.

The Community Safety Innovation Fund, which is expected to grow in the coming years, will have an initial outlay of €2m for this year.

It is anticipated that the kind of projects which may be supported will include activities intended to:

tackle crime or reduce the fear of crime; improve community safety and feelings of safety.
support the creation of safe and resilient communities;
reduce reoffending.
divert vulnerable individuals away from engagement in criminal behaviour.

The Minister has stated:
“An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau have achieved significant success in seizing the ill-gotten gains of criminal gangs who seek to inflict misery on so many communities.
This new fund will ensure that the success of An Garda Síochána and CAB is reflected in new investments in our communities, and on projects which will build strong and safe communities.
Community Safety is about people being safe and, just as importantly, feeling safe within their communities. This, of course, goes beyond policing alone.
This fund will ensure that the best proposals get the funding they need, and it will encourage the development of innovative ways in which to improve community safety from those people who understand local needs best.
For example, the new fund could help communities improve public spaces, or fund local sporting or arts facilities.”

The Fund is open to bodies involved in community safety and will support them in addressing local needs and opportunities for innovation not provided for in other funds managed by Departments and agencies. The call for applications for the Fund runs from April 6th until June 8th 2022 and grants will range from €20,000 to €150,000.

The development of innovative ideas will also allow best practice on community safety and youth justice to be shared with other partnerships and communities nationally as new proposals are developed.

This launch fulfils a commitment in Justice Plan 2022, to seek applications for community safety projects and similar initiatives from bodies involved in community safety.

Completed Application Forms are to be returned by 5:00pm on June 8th 2022 to CommunitySafetyInnovationFund@justice.ie.

For more information visit https://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/CSI-Fund-2022.

Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal Launched.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Mr James Browne TD, this morning launched the new Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (LPDT) at the National Gallery, in Dublin.

The LPDT was established under Section 74 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 and its role is to consider complaints of misconduct against solicitors and barristers referred to it from the Legal Services Regulatory Authority’s (LSRA) Complaints Committee or the Law Society of Ireland.
It is a successor body to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and the Barristers Professional Conduct Tribunal.

Minister Browne joined Chairperson of the Tribunal Tom Coughlan and President of the High Court Mary Irvine at the launch.

Following the event, Minister James Browne stated,
“Today is very significant for the legal profession in Ireland. The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal have a crucial role to play in supporting the proper and effective administration of justice and in ensuring that our legal system is independent, strong and effective.
I am delighted to attend this morning’s launch and I look forward to working closely with bodies such as the Tribunal so that we can continue to deliver further improvements and innovations in the Justice sector, as set out in the Justice Plan 2022.”

The commencement of the LPDT’s operations was initially delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it was brought into effect in November 2020 when President of the High Court Mary Irvine appointed the Tribunal’s 33 members.
The majority of members are non-legal professionals, along with solicitor and barrister members. Under the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015, the Tribunal must be comprised of at least 40% men and at least 40% women.