In November 2022, Dublin-born Síofra O’Leary was appointed the President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), becoming the first woman to hold the position. A University College Dublin (UCD) alumni and Honorary Bencher for the Honourable Society of the King’s Inns, Ireland, O’Leary has been a judge of the ECHR since July 2012 and served as Vice-President of the Court since 2022 before replacing Robert Spano as President. Speaking at the official opening of the judicial year 2023 on 27 January in Strasbourg, O’Leary said in her maiden speech that she felt the heavy responsibility entai ..read more

The planned resignation of Micheál Martin TD as Taoiseach on 17 December 2022 allowed for an orderly handover of power to returning Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD as the tri-party coalition entered the second half of its five-year term. The handover from Martin to Varadkar marked the beginning of the second half of the landmark agreement between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael that has, with the Green Party also involved, seen the dichotomy of Civil War party politics firmly consigned to the past. Having already signalled the beginning of the end of such divisions via the confidence and supply agreement ..read more

Published by Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton TD in mid-January 2023, the Spring Legislative Programme contains 38 bills for prioritisation by government ministers. The Legislative Programme contains the following: • legislation for priority publication this session (21); • legislation for priority drafting this session (17); • all other legislation (64); • bills currently on the Dáil and Seanad order paper (30); • bills published since the current government entered office (145); and • bills enacted since the government entered office (132). Upon publication of the programme, Naughto ..read more

The Oireachtas Library and Research Service (L&RS) provides objective information services to Oireachtas members and committees. Ciarán Galway discusses the role and remit of the L&RS with Madelaine Dennison, the Principal Officer who leads the library, research, and records management functions in the Houses of the Oireachtas. “Recognised as a high-performance team, the 50 staff of the Oireachtas Library and Research Service exhibit a real sense of pride in working for the national parliament and are ambitious for the services they deliver,” Dennison begins, adding: “Led by a manageme ..read more

The recent disruption of passport services for Irish citizens in the North has served to emphasise that the establishment of a new public passport office is a necessity, writes Sinn Féin Seanadóir Niall Ó Donnghaile. Six years ago, when I was first elected to the Seanad, I set an overall objective of bringing the Seanad to the North and the North to the Seanad. I did that in several ways, including by raising issues in the Seanad chamber, almost daily, which were pertinent to the impact of partition on the people of the North in particular, and the people of Ireland generally. In taking this a ..read more

The new Taoiseach’s priority to tackle child poverty alongside a double Child Benefit payment to ease the cost of living for families has reopened a regular debate on whether we are wasting public money on wealthy parents, writes Laura Bambrick, Head of Social Policy and Employment Affairs at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU). Child Benefit is a cash payment from the State to families with children under age 16, or under 18 if in full-time education or training. It is worth €140 a month tax-free for each child, with a higher rate paid for twins and other multiple births. Unlike other s ..read more

Green Party TD for Dublin South-Central, Patrick Costello was elected to Dáil Éireann in February 2020. Previously, he worked as a child protection social worker and was elected to Dublin City Council in 2014 and again in 2019. Costello is married to Green Party Dublin City Councillor, Hazel Chu. How did your political career begin? During my time in college I was involved in activism in urban space and the environment, you could say that my political career began there, or at least my engagement in politics in the broader sense. I had been involved in the Green Party – canvassing and helping ..read more

The launch of the Gender Equality Report in the Leinster House AV room was momentous and historic. That is not an exaggeration. The report has the potential to change the Irish political landscape as we know it and lead the way for a potential pathway to 50/50 representation, writes Caitríona Gleeson, CEO, Women for Election. Women for Election really was pleased to see the Gender Equality Report capture so much of what the feminist movement in Ireland has fought for. All 45 recommendations are a cumulation of a lot of hard work from women and activist groups and to see the Joint Oireachtas Co ..read more

Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics, Jack Chambers TD provides an update on the implementation of Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030 and an outline of road safety priorities for 2023. At the time of writing (31 January 2023), 18 people have died on our roads in 2023. Already, this is four more people than in the same timeframe in 2022. The monthly average of road deaths in 2022 was the highest since 2017, when a total of 156 fatalities was reached. We must not forget that in addition to those who have lost their li ..read more

Tasked with coordinating the delivery of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) reflects on the increase in fatal collisions and fatalities on Irish roads in 2022 and outlines its priorities for 2023. In 2021, the Government launched the latest Road Safety Strategy for the decade ahead. Spearheaded by government ministers and departments, alongside road safety agencies, there was a renewed momentum towards enhanced road safety and, ultimately, Vision Zero. That renewed focus paid dividends. A total of 137 road fatalities in 2021 marked one of the all-time lowest ..read more