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Completion of a charter operation to South Africa to effect deportation orders confirmed.
The Irish government has confirmed the completion of a charter operation to South Africa.
63 people, consisting of 54 adults and 9 children, have been removed from Ireland by charter flight. The children removed were part of family units.
The flight departed Dublin Airport at 5:05pm on Saturday, February 28th 2026 and landed in Johannesburg shortly after 4:00am this morning, Sunday 1, March 2026 (Irish time).
This is the second charter operation this year, and the eighth since the recommencement of charter flights to effect removals and deportation orders in 2025.
Charter flights provide an alternative to commercial flights and can be more appropriate in circumstances when a group of individuals are being removed to the same destination. Charter flights increase the options available to An Garda Síochána to effect orders.
The returnees were accompanied on the flight by members of An Garda Síochána, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.
Further charter operations will be conducted throughout 2026.
Department of Justice is Finalising Regulations to Enable In-Service Drug and Alcohol Testing for Garda Members.
The Department of Justice has confirmed it is finalising regulations required to enable the testing of serving members of An Garda Síochána for drugs and alcohol. Once the regulatory framework is completed, it will be open to An Garda Síochána to implement an in-service testing regime.
The move follows continued focus on strengthening anti-corruption safeguards within the organisation, including recommendations set out in the Garda Síochána Inspectorate’s 2020 report on countering internal corruption.
The Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) has this week published a review of progress on the 2020 report’s recommendations, finding that 56% of the 34 recommendations have been implemented or partially implemented to date.
PCSA review highlights.
The PCSA noted progress in several key areas, including:
- The formation and resourcing of the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (GACU), and new policies addressing abuse of power for sexual gain and professional boundaries.
- A prohibition on acceptance of gifts or hospitality from covert human intelligence sources (CHIS).
- Strong support among members for reform measures, including in-service vetting (supported by 83% in a survey referenced by the PCSA).
The PCSA also highlighted areas where further action is needed, including the absence of a policy and supporting technology to detect and prevent misuse of Garda IT systems, and ongoing concerns regarding compliance with rules on gifts, hospitality and sponsorship.
Regulation drafting “complex” and at an advanced stage:
The Department of Justice has previously indicated that regulations underpinning an in-service drugs testing scheme are complex and require detailed consideration, and that drafting work is now at an advanced stage and expected to be finalised.
Engagement with Garda leadership:
The PCSA has said the review will be discussed at a public meeting between the Authority and the Garda Commissioner on today, (Thursday, 26th February 2026).
Met Éireann has confirmed that it will replace county-wide weather warnings with a new localised system from late 2026, marking a significant change to the national warning framework.
In a written reply to a Parliamentary Question by Laois Fine Gael TD Mr Willie Aird, the forecaster said it is developing a polygon-based system that will divide the country into sub-county zones. The new approach will allow warnings to be issued for specific areas rather than entire counties.
The forecaster said the new system will give more precise guidance to communities.
Noting that the current system is well established, robust and aligned with international best practice, Met Éireann added, “This enhanced localisation will provide clearer direction to those at risk and support more targeted emergency preparedness. The aim is to have this system in place later in 2026.”
Deputy Willie Aird has welcomed the proposed change, adding that the current system is too broad for Ireland’s varied landscape and island conditions and often results in warnings not reflecting the actual risk on the ground.
He said that during named storms and periods of wintry weather, Status Orange or Red alerts are sometimes issued for several counties even though only particular areas within those counties face severe conditions. Aird said this can lead to widespread school closures and disruption when the threshold for the higher‑level warning has only been reached in one part of a county.
“The new system will bring clarity. It will end the unnecessary disruption that blanket county warnings can cause while still giving clear safety information to the people who need it,” he said.
He pointed to the heavy snowfall in January 2025 as an example of where a more targeted approach would have been appropriate.
“High ground areas of Tipperary, Kilkenny, Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Laois were technically in red alert conditions with disruptive levels of snowfall, while lower lying parts of those counties had very different circumstances with mostly rain. A county-wide warning simply does not reflect that reality,” he said.
“People do not live their lives by county borders. Weather does not respect them either. This is a practical step that will help protect homes, businesses and lives,” concluded Deputy Aird.
Justice Minister Mr Jim O’Callaghan announces more Efficient Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
- One fee for representation from beginning to end of a case.
- Reform of criminal legal aid and restoration of fees fulfils Programme for Government commitment.
- Implementation on 1st July, 2026.
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Mr Jim O’Callaghan has today (24th February) informed the Government of his proposals to reform the criminal legal aid fee structure in the District Court. The reform will lead to greater efficiencies in the District Court and a more sustainable Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
Minister O’Callaghan is proposing that one flat fee will be paid for representation from beginning to end of a case. This will remove the link between payments and the number of appearances, or legal aid certificates granted.
The proposal fulfils the Programme for Government commitment to reform criminal legal aid and the restoration of fees. Restoration of fees will commence from 1st July 2026.
Engagement with the Law Society of Ireland and relevant stakeholders will continue in advance of implementation on 1st July 2026.
Minister O’Callaghan said; “My department reviewed more than 350,000 District Court cases which took place during 2022 and 2023. The reform I am announcing today aims to address structural issues identified during this review, such as unnecessary adjournments resulting from the payment per appearance model.
I have informed Government of my proposal to replace the existing fee structure with one flat fee. This will be payable regardless of the number of appearances, multiple certificates for cases heard together, or number of accused represented.
This reform will lead to a more efficient system by reducing unnecessary adjournments. It will also simplify the administration of criminal legal aid, resolve cases sooner, and ensure practitioners are remunerated fairly.”
While the volume of criminal cases in the District Court has decreased, expenditure on criminal legal aid has nearly doubled; from €19 million in 2015 to €37 million in 2024.
The proposed payment of one fee for cases in the District Court will:
- Encourage earlier case resolution.
- Reduce administrative burden.
- Support more efficient court sittings.
- Ensure fair remuneration for practitioners.
As stated, there will be extensive engagement over the coming months with key stakeholders, including legal professionals, in advance of its implementation on 1 July 2026.
Sinn Féin’s decision this week to stay away from St Patrick’s Day events at the White House has taken a new turn, after the US embassy said the party wasn’t invited in the first place, and is not expected to be.
In a statement issued to Irish press, Mr Edward Walsh said that “no members of Sinn Féin have been invited to the White House, and none are expected to be invited”. He added that announcing a boycott “of an event for which invitations have neither been extended nor finalised is premature”.
What Sinn Féin said and why it said it.
Earlier in the week, Sinn Féin leader Ms Mary Lou McDonald said no party representatives would attend White House St Patrick’s Day events, citing the situation in Gaza Strip and the need for international attention to remain focused on Palestine.
The party position was framed as a protest and a statement of principle. Sinn Féin also indicated it was working on the assumption an invitation would again be issued, noting that invitations are often made close to the event itself.
It will be remembered that critics have long pointed to Sinn Féin’s past engagement with Hamas, including meetings, as a political vulnerability, even as the party insists its position is rooted in international law and support for Palestinian statehood.
The key update: “not invited” and “not expected”.
The embassy statement, however, cuts across that narrative. The message from Washington, via Dublin, is effectively, there is no invitation to decline.
The ambassador also pointed to what he described as unusually strong demand for access to this year’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the White House, presenting it as a sign of the “depth and vitality” of the US–Ireland relationship.
Wider context: who is going and who isn’t.
While Sinn Féin is opting out (and now being told it wasn’t on the invite list anyway), Taoiseach Mr Micheál Martin has confirmed he has accepted an invitation to meet Donald Trump at the White House on St Patrick’s Day (March 17).
Separately, Sinn Féin’s senior leadership in Northern Ireland has also indicated it will not attend: Michelle O’Neill has said she will not go to this year’s White House events, also citing Gaza.
Why it matters
This is now less a simple “boycott” story and more a three-way political dynamic:–
- A party staking out a moral position on Gaza, and seeking to use the St Patrick’s Day spotlight as leverage.
- A US administration controlling access tightly, signalling who is , and isn’t, welcome in a high-profile diplomatic theatre.
- An Irish Government continuing the annual engagement, arguing that the relationship is too economically and strategically important to step away from, even amid controversy.
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