The Gazette 1973

6. The age of a child for which maintenance is obainable under this Order should be raised from 16 to 18 years. One of the many case histories dealt with by FL.A.C. : Mrs. E. married E. when they were both very young. They had a child almost immediately. They lived with E.'s parents and E.'s six sisters. Mrs. E. did not get on well with his family. They disapproved of her, and kept fighting with her. On several occasions, they beat her up. They told her that her husband's affairs were theirs, and not hers. They threatened her each time she sug- gested he get a job. (The family supported her hus- band, and kept him supplied with drink and cigarettes). Mrs. E. left after a severe beating by her husband's sisters. She was forced to leave the child behind her. When she returned with a friend to collect the child, E. and one sister attacked her brutally again and she had to leave without the child. The husband's family regard the child as theirs, and refuse to give her up to her mother. Apart from per- suasion there is little the wife can do as she cannot afford the expense of initiating a High Court action. affects the existing Centres. The extent of the increase and other details regarding FLAC's activities may be gleaned from FLAC's first report which has just been published and is available from FLAC at Ozanam House 53 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1. A subscription of not less than 25p is requested for each copy of the report. A summary of the Report appears in this issue. At a recent meeting of the Council it was agreed to ask the Council's Special Sub-Committee on Building Societies to seek an interview with the Managing Director of the Irish Permanent Building Society to discuss with him the large number of complaints which had been received from members in the Asso- ciation's recent survey, with a view to reducing the average length of time taken to process cases and the number of cases in which delays occur. MEETING WITH IRISH PERMANENT BUILDING SOCIETY He said it would not be possible to open these books without coming across Irish names among the judges and counsel. At one stage in the early days of the court, there were two Irish-born judges out of six : Mr. Justice Higgins, who was born in Newtownards and Sir Frank Gavan Duffy, who was born in Dublin. Exacting Standards The Ambassador also congratulated Mr. Justice Fitz- gerald on his appointment as Chief Justice. "There are no more exacting standards to live up to than Irish standards; but they are being transferred from one pair of safe hands to another", he said. Chief Justice O'Dalaigh asked the Ambassador to con- vey the court's thanks to his Government for this princely gift. {The Irish Times, 22 December 1972.) 46'

4. The right of the press to be present and to report the proceedings should be abolished. 5. All the assets of the father should be made liable in default of payment of the weekly sum or of the lump sum. 6. Illegitimate children should have equal rights as legitimate children with regards to succession. 7. Penalties for non-disclosure of change of address should be raised to £50 and/or six months' imprison- ment. 8. Legal aid should be available to both parties if requested. 9. Proper statistics should be recorded and be pub- lished annually. Statutes : Married Women (Maintenance in case of Desertion) Act, 1886. Courts Act, 1971. Recommendations : 1. Proper statistics to be recorded. 2. Custody of children to be provided for. 3. Some division of the property or at least security of tenure to be granted to the wife. 4. Attachment of income and other forms of assets. 5. Legal aid to be available to both parties. FREE LEGAL AID ASSOCIATION The Dublin Solicitors Bar Association which is the Liaison Body between the Profession and FLAC has received a request from FLAC for further volunteers from members of the Profession to act as Solicitors on FLAC's panel for attendance at Centres. Volunteers will be asked to attend at a Centre in the evenings for a period of about 2 hours to act as Adviser to the Students who interview the people attending the Centre. It is unlikely that a volunteer will be asked to attend more often than once in every two months at a Centre. In addition to attending at the Centres, mem- bers may, from time to time, be asked to take charge of cases which have originated in the Centre. Members who are willing to join the FLAC panel are asked to send their names to Mr. Thomas Jackson, Junior, Orpen Franks & Co., 28 Burlington Road, Dublin 4. The need for enlarging the panel is due, not merely to the establishment of further Centres, but also to the considerable increase in the volume of work which

DUBUN SOLICITORS' BAR ASSOCIATION

Australian Law Books for Ireland One hundred and twenty volumes of the Common- wealth Law Reports were presented to the Chief Justice, Mr. Justice O'Dalaigh, by the Australian Ambassador, Mr. K. G. Brennan, in the conference room of the Supreme Court yesterday.

The Ambassador said : "To the Irish judges who are continuing in the work of their illustrious predecessors, this working tool comes with the warm wishes of the Australian people and Government." The ambassador said that the Commonwealth Law Reports recorded the important decisions of the High Court of Australia, which was the highest court in the country. Like the Supreme Court of Ireland, the High Court of Australia had both Constitutional and appellate jurisdiction and it was therefore hoped that all its works might have relevance for the work of the Supreme Court of Ireland.