December 2004 in Britain and Ireland

20 December 2004

The House of Commons gives the Identity Cards Bill a second reading, voting in favour by a margin of 385 to 93. (BBC)
The fight to re-route part of the planned M3 motorway in Ireland away from the Hill of Tara is being brought before the European Commission. Campaigners maintain that the route through the archaeologically rich Tara-Skyne valley will irreparably damage the region's heritage, while the National Roads Authority and others say that the route originally preferred by an environmental impact assessment would not adequately serve traffic needs. (Irish Times - eircom.net)
The Irish president, Mary McAleese, convenes a Council of State meeting for Tuesday to discuss the Health Amendment (2) Bill. The debate, only the third such meeting under McAleese, will discuss the proposals to legalise the deduction of up to 80% of pensions for those in state-owned nursing homes. The Council will declare as to whether the bill is constitutional in their view. (RTÉ)(Irish Independent - eircom.net)