Bills
1,078 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Railway Safety Bill 2026
24 Jul 2026 First Stage Current
- Establishes statutory basis in primary legislation for Railway Accident Investigation Unit to continue investigating accidents and incidents on all railways, including light railways, metro, and heritage railways.
- Empowers Minister for Transport to make regulations prescribing which railways fall within RAIU's investigation scope and sets out investigation procedures, principles, and investigator powers.
- Amends Railway Safety Act 2005 regarding intoxicants and safety-critical workers on railways, and updates Freedom of Information Act 2014 to apply to Medical Bureau of Road Safety records related to railway functions.
Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026
22 Jul 2026 Enacted
- Minister for Transport gains power to amend or revoke Dublin Airport's passenger cap planning condition after environmental assessments by An Coimisiún Pleanála and public consultation.
- daa can apply to Minister to remove passenger cap if it causes serious harm to economy, international connectivity, or Ireland's air transport reputation.
- Future passenger cap planning conditions at Dublin Airport are prohibited; Fingal County Council and An Coimisiún Pleanála cannot impose them.
Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026
22 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Allows Minister to directly approve a strategic gas reserve at Cahiracon, Co. Clare, bypassing standard planning laws and certain environmental regulations.
- An Coimisiún Pleanála must complete environmental and habitat assessments within 18 weeks, with time spent awaiting applicant information not counting toward deadline.
- Minister can direct other authorities to prioritise consents needed for the project; judicial review rights adapted from Planning Act apply to challenge decisions.
Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026
22 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Enables registered pharmacists in retail pharmacies to issue prescriptions for contraceptive drugs, medicines, products and devices, and adds retail pharmacy businesses as scheme providers under the Health Act 1970.
- Allows women eligible for the Free Contraception Scheme to access contraception prescriptions from pharmacies free of charge, and permits private patients aged 17–55 to access the service for a fee.
- Amends the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 and Pharmacy Act 2007 to support clinical protocols, training requirements, and regulatory framework for pharmacists delivering the new contraception prescribing service.
National Treasury Management Agency (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026
21 Jul 2026 Enacted
- Dissolves National Asset Management Agency (NAMA); automatically transfers all land, property, rights, liabilities and contracts to National Treasury Management Agency without need for formal conveyance.
- Enables transfer of residual activities from Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Special Liquidation to National Treasury Management Agency or its subsidiaries by deed of transfer agreement.
- Grants National Treasury Management Agency new functions to manage transferred assets, including powers to dispose of assets, direct participating institutions for records, and handle legal proceedings.
Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026
20 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Creates a public Domestic Violence Judgments Register on the Courts Service website containing court judgments of serious domestic violence convictions, with victim consent required for inclusion.
- Allows convicted persons to apply to court for removal from the Register after three years (or from release date if imprisoned), subject to discretionary judicial review.
- Amends three existing Acts to permit Register publication without breaching existing confidentiality provisions in rape, assault, and harassment legislation.
Electoral (Postal Voting) (Carers) Bill 2026
17 Jul 2026 Second Stage Current Mark Wall
- Amends Electoral Act 1992 to allow carers to register as postal voters, extending eligibility beyond current illness/disability grounds.
- Creates three new carer categories eligible for postal voting: recipients of domiciliary care allowance, carer's benefit/allowance/support grant, or home carer's tax credit claimants.
- Updates Electoral Acts 1992–2023 framework to include new postal voter registration provisions for carers.
Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Prohibits importing goods originating from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory; violations become offences under Customs Act 2015 with search, seizure and forfeiture powers.
- Minister for Foreign Affairs designates prohibited postal codes (updated periodically) via order, with exemptions for non-commercial personal luggage and mixed-origin postal codes subject to Revenue Commissioners verification.
- Amends Customs Act 2015 section 45 to allow importers notification of Revenue decisions and appeal rights; enables data sharing between government departments for enforcement.
Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Establishes Oifig IS na hÉireann (AI Office of Ireland) as independent statutory body to coordinate AI regulation, maintain national AI register, and advise the Minister on artificial intelligence governance.
- Implements EU AI Regulation 2024/1689 into Irish law, empowering market surveillance authorities to enforce AI rules and establishing regulatory sandbox for innovation testing.
- Amends four existing Acts (Central Bank 1942, Communications Regulation 2002, Competition and Consumer Protection 2014, Freedom of Information 2014) to enable AI Office functions and enforcement powers.
Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Adds residency requirements for social housing eligibility: household members must be lawfully and habitually resident in State, with exceptions for children and specific visa holders.
- Creates appeal process for social housing decisions: households can challenge eligibility determinations or housing type classifications within 14 days; decision made within 28 days by independent officer.
- Increases penalties under Residential Tenancies Act: class B to class A fines (up to €5,000) and doubles maximum jail term to 12 months; introduces fixed-payment notices for rent-setting breaches.
Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Sets 90-week deadline for Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy reviews to complete by end 2027; allows current Development Plans to remain in force until February-December 2030 on transitional basis.
- Extends new planning judicial review rules from 2024 Act to decisions under 2000 Act; removes need for Maritime Area Consent before Chapter 4 development pre-application consultation.
- Raises Housing Finance Agency borrowing limit from €13.5 billion to €15 billion; allows alteration of existing apartment permissions to align with design standards.
Postal and Telecommunications Services (Amendment) Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Amends Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 to increase funding available for post office network from €30m to €75m total.
- Provides €15m annually from 2026-2030 (€75m total) from Department of Culture, Communications and Sport budget for maintaining nationwide post offices.
- Funding classified as Service of General Economic Interest to support An Post's objective of meeting State's social and household service needs throughout Ireland.
Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2026
10 Jul 2026 Second Stage Current Paul Murphy
- Bans U.S. military aircraft and civil aircraft carrying weapons/ammunition from landing in Ireland, except during aircraft distress searches or rescue operations.
- Defines 'U.S. military aircraft' as aircraft owned and used militarily by the United States, and 'munitions of war' as weapons, ammunition and their parts.
- Act comes into force within 90 days of presidential signature.
Protection of Children (Online Age Verification) Bill 2026
9 Jul 2026 Committee Stage Current Rónán Mullen
- Websites must verify users are adults before allowing access to pornographic content online.
- Aims to prevent children from viewing adult material by requiring age-verification systems.
- Bill is at Second Stage; specific enforcement methods and technical standards not yet detailed.
Insurance (Disregard of Certain Medical History and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025
9 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current Catherine Ardagh
- Prohibits financial service providers from discriminating against cancer survivors in accessing insurance, assurance, and mortgage products once they reach five years post-treatment.
- Removes requirement for cancer survivors meeting five-year post-treatment criterion to disclose past diagnosis when applying for financial services.
- Establishes offences and penalties, including fines and imprisonment, for financial service providers who breach these discrimination prohibitions.
Adult Safeguarding Strategy Bill 2026
9 Jul 2026 Second Stage Current Tom Clonan
- Minister for Health must create periodic strategic plans to protect adults at risk of harm.
- Bill requires implementation oversight and reviews of these safeguarding strategies; related provisions included.
- Specific harm types, update frequency, and enforcement mechanisms not detailed in long title.
Planning for Constitutional Change Bill 2026
9 Jul 2026 First Stage Defeated Mary Lou McDonald
- Requires Taoiseach to publish a Green Paper within 12 months examining economic, fiscal, governance and constitutional implications of potential Irish reunification.
- Establishes a Citizens' Assembly within 6 months of the Green Paper to examine Irish unity, with broad island representation and formal government response required.
- Mandates annual progress reports to Oireachtas and requires government engagement with Unionist, Protestant and other communities on constitutional change planning.
Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020
9 Jul 2026 First Stage Defeated Paul Murphy
- Bans hare coursing events (competitions where dogs hunt live hares) with immediate effect upon commencement; offenders face fines up to €5,000.
- Removes hare coursing exemptions from Wildlife Act 1976 and Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 by amending those Acts.
- Allows Irish Coursing Club to optionally shift focus to lure coursing (artificial lures, not live animals) for greyhounds and sighthounds.
Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025
8 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Prohibits sale of single-use vapes (with or without nicotine) in Ireland from commencement, with 6-month transition period allowing existing stock sales.
- Appoints authorised officers with enforcement powers to inspect, investigate, and issue prohibition notices for contraventions of the sales ban.
- Creates criminal offences for selling single-use vapes and providing false information, with penalties for first and repeat breaches; excludes medical devices and medicinal products.
Criminal Justice (International Cooperation on Electronic Evidence and Other Matters) Bill 2026
8 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Establishes new Office of Director of Criminal Justice International Cooperation to monitor and enforce service providers' compliance with EU electronic evidence rules and issue financial penalties for breaches.
- Requires online service providers operating in Ireland to designate local offices or appoint legal representatives to receive and comply with court orders for electronic evidence by August 2026.
- Transfers oversight of removal orders for terrorist content online from Garda Commissioner to the new Director, who will scrutinise incoming orders for legal compliance.
Finance Bill 2026
8 Jul 2026 Cream List Current
- Increases diesel rebate for road transport operators from €75 to €120 per 1,000 litres for purchases between 1 January–30 June 2026.
- Cuts mineral oil tax rates on petrol, auto-diesel, aviation fuel and marked gas oil until 31 July 2026.
- Delays carbon tax increases on kerosene, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas and solid fuels from 1 May to 14 October 2026.
Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026
3 Jul 2026 Cream List Current
- Prison officers can possess and use incapacitant spray during duties under Prison Rules; Firearms Act 1925 exempted accordingly.
- Community service orders available up to 24 months (from 12), with maximum hours raised to 480 and extended completion timeframe to two years.
- Two new sexual offences created: offering accommodation in exchange for sexual activity, with Class A fines as penalty.
Prevention of Energy Wastage Bill 2026
3 Jul 2026 Second Stage Current Jennifer Whitmore
- Amends Climate Action Act 2021 to require minister make regulations ensuring curtailed and constrained renewable electricity available free to eligible customers.
- Requires CRU establish Wasted Electricity Utilisation Scheme within 12 months, prioritizing vulnerable households and those at risk of energy poverty.
- Addresses renewable electricity wastage by redirecting otherwise-wasted power to reduce energy poverty and support just transition, without mandating price controls.
Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026
1 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Courts can restrict or remove guardianship from someone convicted of murdering or manslaughtering another guardian, if it protects the child's safety and alternative care is arranged.
- Courts can restrict or remove guardianship from someone convicted of a serious offence (10+ years imprisonment) against another guardian, if it harmed the child's welfare and care changed.
- Child and Family Agency must apply within 6 months of conviction; court can review orders if conviction is quashed or child's circumstances significantly change.