Nóirín O'Sullivan says she asked Martin Callinan to withdraw whistleblower remarks

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan has said she wrote to her predecessor telling him to withdraw remarks calling whistleblowers "disgusting". 

Ms O'Sullivan told the Oireachtas justice committee that she disagreed with Martin Callinan's description of penalty points whistleblowers. 

She also denied promoting friends and relatives to top jobs in the force, after being accused by Independent TD Mick Wallace of elevating her husband and bridesmaid.

"We believe it's a risk that will pay off" - Varadkar defends new help-to-buy scheme

Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has said it is worth risking higher property prices in order to help out first-time buyers.

The financial package announced in the budget yesterday has prompted concerns that developers will put up the prices of new builds in response, rather than increasing housing supply.

But Mr Varadkar told the Pat Kenny Show that the benefit of the scheme will outweigh any problem.

Man accused of Dale Creighton murder pleads guilty to violent disorder

One of seven people accused of murdering Dale Creighton in Dublin has pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Jason Beresford of Ard a Laoi, Castledermot, Co Kildare, initially denied the charge but changed his plea this morning.

Mr Creighton died in hospital following an alleged attack on a footbridge in Tallaght in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2014.

Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam's lawyers quit his defence

Lawyers representing the main terror suspect of the Paris attacks have said they will no longer be defending him because of his decision to remain silent.

French lawyer Frank Berton and his Belgian colleague Sven Mary said Salah Abdeslam's refusal to speak meant every prison visit was a "social" one.

Their client is believed to be angry about the 24-hour video surveillance in his maximum-security prison cell.

Child sex abuse victims 'humiliated and retraumatised' in criminal trials

Survivors of child sexual abuse often fear engaging with the criminal justice system because of "adversarial" trial practices, according to a support group for victims.

Maeve Lewis of One in Four said victims were "regularly humiliated, demeaned, undermined and retraumised" during trials.

Almost 40% of the charity's counselling clients had been sexually abused by a relative, according to its annual report.