A new affordable housing plan that will see the Government take up to 30 per cent equity in a home with a first-time buyer is set to go to Cabinet next week. As the Irish Times reports, the Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien said the State will put in up to 30 per cent of the equity to help finance the purchase of a new home, and, when it comes to eligibility for the scheme, there will be “no arbitrary salary caps”.

He said the heads of the Bill will be discussed by Ministers next week and the legislation will come before the Dáil in 2021. If the scheme is up and running by next June or July, some 2,500 homes will be supplied in the 12 months that follow.

The Government has approved legislative proposals that will reduce the required separation period for couples who want to get divorced.

The Family Law Bill 2019, which was approved by Cabinet, follows the referendum on divorce in May of this year.

Family Law (Divorce) (Amendment) Bill 2019 proposes to amend section 5 of Family Law (Divorce) Act 1996 by inserting a two out of three previous years for four out of five previous when determining a the period of living apart for estranged couples.

The Minister for Finance announced a significant change to stamp duty rates on 8 October 2019 in the Irish Budget 2020.

There is no change to the rate on residential property but stamp duty on commercial property transactions will increase from 6% to 7.5%.

Johnson & Company Solicitors recently settled a personal injury case for €350,000.

The Minister for Finance announced an important change to the tax free amount that can be inherited by Class A beneficiaries. When making a will you can tax plan by leaving your estate to children rather than other relatives.

2019 saw extended unpaid parental leave with the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act, 2019 which extended unpaid parental leave from 18 to 22 weeks and a further extension to 26 weeks' parental leave by 2020.

This Bill is expected to become law on or before 1 November 2019 and will introduce paid parental leave for the first time.

Note that the employer does not have to pay the employee.

An eight-year-old boy who as a baby attended a creche mentioned in an RTÉ exposé documentary on the treatment of pre-school children has settled his High Court action for €30,000.

An employer has been ordered to pay €30,000 to a catering assistant who had her bottom pinched by a chef in a series of sexual harassment incidents involving the senior colleague.

Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudication officer said that as “an instance of sexual harassment, a pinch on the bottom may not be at the extreme end of the scale, but it is well within the definition of unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature”.