Solicitor Emma Meagher Neville (pictured) is to chair a committee that will advise the Government on issues related to firearms.

The Firearms Expert Committee will carry out an assessment of all types of firearms to determine their current use under the existing licensing system, and their suitability for future licensing.

Meagher Neville, a member of the Council of the Law Society of Ireland, qualified as a solicitor in 1998, and is currently the vice-president of the Southern Law Association (SLA).

Firearms dealers appointed

The Department of Justice said that Paul Walsh and Fabian Connolly, who are both registered firearms dealers, had been selected as ordinary members of the committee.

Superintendent in Crime Legal Brian Murphy has been appointed to represent an Garda Síochána on the committee, while the Firearms Range Inspector John Guinane will represent the Department of Justice.

The appointments follow a call for expressions of interest for candidates, which closed in late April.

The committee is expected to hold its first meeting next month.