Republic of Ireland overwhelmingly in favour of extending marriage rights to same-sex couples. On 23 May 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote. Ireland became the first country in the world to introduce an environmental levy for plastic shopping bags in 2002 and a public smoking ban in 2004. Recycling in Ireland is carried out extensively, and Ireland has the second highest rate of packaging recycling in the European Union. It was the first country in Europe to ban incandescent lightbulbs in 2008 and the first EU country to ban in-store tobacco advertising and product display in
Assessment on Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland Party of Northern Ireland. The PSNI and the government of the Republic of Ireland also welcomed the process. However, Traditional Unionist Voice criticised the assessment as having "all the appearance of politically motivated and timed window-dressing". A representative of Sinn Féin, Conor Murphy, described the panel as unnecessary, saying, "Nothing and no one can be allowed a veto over the democratic process. Sinn Féin is in government on the basis of our electoral mandate." Vincent Kearney, the BBC's Northern Ireland Home Affairs Correspondent, questioned whether the assessment can or will say anything different to prior PSNI statements, or what the