JUSTICE MINISTER CHARLIE Flanagan has said that his department believes legislation that would allow gardaí to disclose information about a domestic partners’ abusive history is not “necessary”.

A similar law already exists in the UK, which allows individuals to ask police if their partner or the partner of a close friend or family member may pose a risk.

The law was introduced after a campaign by the family of Clare Wood, who was murdered by her partner George Appleton – who had convictions of repeated harassment, threats and the kidnapping at knifepoint – in 2009.

Her father Michael Brown said at the time that he believed Clare would have distanced herself from Appleton if she had known about those offences.

However, Flanagan recently told Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy that his department had looked at the law and did not believe introducing similar legislation here was required.

But what do you think? Should gardaí be allowed to tell a person about their partner’s abusive history?

