Legal Advice
- Details
- Category: Welfare
- Published on Tuesday, 12 August 2008 11:55
If you have a legal problem or feel that you need legal advice on any matter, you can get free legal aid through the Students’ Union. The Union has a solicitor to help any Mary I student who runs into legal problems. The service covers everything from solicitor’s letters to representing you in court. The service cannot be used to take action against the Students’ Union and in the event that one student wishes to take action against another student, it is worked on a first come first serve basis.
Public Order Act
The law on public order offences in Ireland is mainly set down in the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994. This legislation deals with the behaviour of people in public places in Ireland and provides for various controls to be exercised at public events.
For the purposes of the law in Ireland, a ‘public place’ includes roads, public parks or recreational areas, cemeteries, churchyards, trains, buses and other public transport vehicles.
Under the act, any individual present in a public place while intoxicated, where the person is a danger to themselves or others, is in breach of sect.4 of the Public Order Act. If a Garda suspects you of being involved in a public order offence, you are obliged to give your name and address if asked. It is an offence if you fail to do so. You may be arrested without warrant if you fail to give your name and address. The act also provides for a fixed charge fine instead of court proceedings for being intoxicated in a public place. This fixed charge fine, currently €100, may be set and varied by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Disorderly conduct such as unruly behaviour, excessive noise or just unreasonable behaviour is an offence between 12 midnight and 7am. This includes playing football! The penalty for this offence is €1,000.
So when you're out for the night with your mates or walking home late at night, be aware of the "Public Order Act", it could come back to haunt you.
People with a criminal record will be unable to take up public jobs, i.e. with the civil service, as a teacher etc.
For more on various public order offences, click here.
Insurance
The Students Union have a Personal Accident Insurance policy. This policy covers each student 24 hours 7 days per week while they are enrolled on a full-time undergraduate or post-graduate programme in the College. For further details please contact the S.U.