The Gazette 1994

GAZETTE

such as accountants, regulate entry

requirements.

Estimates Provide Increased

Resources for Courts and Legal Aid

Details of the Book of Estimates for

1994 were published in all the daily

papers of 10 December, 1993. The

Irish Independent

reported that a

major drive to speed up the

administration of justice in the courts

by introducing new procedures and

appointing extra staff was to be made

next year by the Department of

Justice. The salaries budget for the

courts would increase by 20% to

£15.5 million. The

Irish Times

noted

that the request by the Law Society

and the Bar Council for a £5 million

increase in expenditure on courthouse

accommodation had been largely met

in the 1994 estimates. The net total

spending on courts showed an

increase of 38% on expenditure in

1993. The papers also noted that the

Government spending estimates

provided for an increase of almost £2

million to the Legal Aid Board

bringing its total provision to £5

million. The

Irish Independent

reported a spokesperson for the Law

Society as saying that while the

increase in funding for legal aid was

welcome the Society estimated that

the annual cost of a comprehensive

statutory civil legal aid scheme would

be £8 million per year.

A statement from the Law Society

saying that greater concern was being

shown for greyhound and horse racing

then the rights of ordinary people to

have equal access to the courts to

vindicate their rights was published in

the

Cork Examiner

on 14 December

1993 and in the

Irish Independent

22 December 1993. The Society said

that £7.3 million had been allocated

for the development of the horse

racing and greyhound racing

industries while only £5 million was

allocated to the Legal Aid Board. The

Irish Independent

of 4 January 1994,

reported a response to the Society's

statement from a spokesman for

Minister Mervyn Taylor who said the

sum was the highest ever allocation to

legal aid and would significantly cut

waiting lists. A spokesman for the

Law Society said any involvement by

private practitioners would, at the

very least, have to be at the same rate

of remuneration payable under the

criminal legal aid scheme.

Probate Tax to Stay

The

Farmers Journal

of 18 December

1993, reported that the Minister for

Finance,

Bertie Ahem,

had told the

Dail that he had no plans to abolish

probate tax in the 1994 Budget. The

article reported that the Alliance

Against Probate Tax intended to

intensify the campaign to abolish the

tax.

Labour Court Rules in favour of

Law Society

The

Evening Press

of 17 December

1993, reported that the Labour Court

had turned down a 3% PESP "local

bargaining" claim by IDATU on

behalf of clerical, cleaning and porter

grades of staff employed by the Law

Society. The Labour Court upheld the

arguments of the Society that no

exceptional circumstances existed to

justify concession of the Union's

claim and that the Society could not

afford to bear the additional payroll

costs.

•

Barbara

Cahalane

N o r t h / S o u t h S e m i n a r o n C r i m i n a l L a w

The Criminal Law Committee of the

Law Society of Ireland and the

Criminal Bar Association of Northern

Ireland are pleased to announce the

holding of their first joint seminar to

take place on the weekend of 11, 12

and 13 February 1993, in the

Ballymascanlon House Hotel,

Dundalk, Co. Louth.

The seminar aims to increase the pool

of available legal and practical

knowledge in the conduct of criminal

cases, and will involve a high degree

of participation by those attending.

The seminar is open to all solicitors

with an interest in criminal law.

Conference Programme

Friday Evening

- Welcome reception

and registration.

Saturday Morning

10.00 - 12.00 - "The

Client in Custody". Keynote speaker:

Alistair Duff,

Solicitor, Edinburgh.

2.00 - 3.00 -

"Computerised Litigation

Support in the Criminal Practice".

Speaker:

Anne Dunne,

Anne Dunne

Systems Consultants, Dublin.

8.00 p.m. - Conference Banquet.

Sunday Morning

11.00 - 1.00 - "The

Forensic Preparation of the Defence".

Keynote speaker: Dr

Noel Spence,

Forensic Scientist, Cambridgeshire.

The cost of the seminar will be

£100.00 per person which will include:

two nights bed and breakfast (sharing

accommodation) lunch and dinner on

Saturday, tea and coffee breaks and all

conference documentation.

Participants will have full access to the

sports and leisure complex of the

Ballymascanlon Hotel which has an

indoor heated swimming pool,

solarium, sauna, gymnasium, squash

courts, tennis courts and snooker

room. The hotel also has a nine hole

private golf course with a green fee of

£6.00 per person.

As the aim of the seminar is to achieve

a high degree of involvement from all

participating, the number of places is

necessarily limited.

To reserve your place please forward

a deposit of £25.00 payable to the

Law Society of Ireland, to:

Linda Kirwan,

Law Society,

Blackhall Place,

Dublin, 7.

Ciaran Steele,

Fearon & Steele,

Solicitors,

Cromac Street,

Belfast.

•