Bills
367 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Local Government and Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (Carrigaline Rent Pressure Zone) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
- Designates entire Carrigaline local electoral area as a rent pressure zone under the Local Government Act 2019.
- Requires Minister to prescribe full local electoral area as rent pressure zone if substantial portion already qualifies and conditions are met.
- Amends Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to create statutory obligation for Minister to extend rent pressure zone coverage area-wide.
Green Hydrogen Strategy Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Darren O'Rourke
- Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications must draft and publish a national hydrogen strategy within six months of the Act passing.
- Minister must consult relevant stakeholders during strategy preparation on topics the strategy should address.
- Bill establishes definitions and commencement provisions for the hydrogen strategy requirement.
Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (Extension of Notice Periods) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Amends Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to automatically extend notice periods by three months when a local authority certifies a tenant as at-risk of homelessness.
- Local authority must certify tenant cannot secure alternative accommodation and will become homeless upon quitting the dwelling to trigger the extension.
- Aims to give tenants time to find housing and allow local authorities to provide homelessness prevention support before emergency accommodation entry.
Education (Health, Relationships and Sex Education) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Gary Gannon
- Makes evidence-informed health and relationships/sex education a mandatory function of state-funded schools.
- Requires schools to teach health education only per curriculum prescribed by the Minister.
- Expands school inspectors' role to evaluate teaching of health and relationships/sex education; curriculum reviewed every 5 years.
Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Marian Harkin
- Amends Credit Union Act 1997 to allow credit unions to provide additional financial services to members for mutual benefit, subject to board approval and required regulatory authorizations.
- Establishes a Credit Union Policy Committee to review Central Bank policies, provide feedback during policy development, and represent stakeholder interests in the credit union sector.
- Requires Central Bank to protect community-based and volunteer ethos of credit unions when regulating them, and requires Minister for Finance consent for minimum reserve requirements.
Workplace Ventilation (Covid-19) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Murphy
- Amends Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 to require employers ensure sufficient fresh air in enclosed workplaces, defined by CO2 levels as emergency Covid-19 measure.
- Gives employees right to request HSA inspection of workplace ventilation; inspectors measure CO2 and issue improvement notices above 900 ppm or prohibition notices above 1,500 ppm.
- Requires Minister review Act within 3 months of coming into force.
Housing (Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Pauline Tully
- Requires local authorities to decide on housing adaptation grant applications within four weeks where possible.
- Establishes powers for the Minister to make regulations governing the housing adaptation grant scheme.
- Aims to improve access to housing adaptation grants for people with disabilities through streamlined processes.
Education (Voluntary Contributions) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
- Minister must make regulations requiring schools to clearly state contributions are voluntary, prevent differential treatment of students, and limit contact to parents once yearly.
- Schools must publish annual totals of voluntary contributions collected and detailed spending, with Department publishing this anonymously online.
- Minister may request Comptroller and Auditor General reports on whether exchequer funding alone covers school operating costs; collections prohibited once funding deemed sufficient.
Planning and Development (Amendment) (20 per cent Provision of Social and Affordable Housing) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Removes exemption allowing developers with pre-2026 planning permission to avoid providing 20% social and affordable housing.
- Amends Planning and Development Act 2000 by deleting sunset clause in section 96(3)(j) that permitted exemption from Part V requirements.
- Makes 20% social and affordable housing requirement mandatory for all developers regardless of when planning permission was secured.
Ban on Rent Increases Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Freezes all rent increases for three years; existing tenancies locked at enactment date rates.
- New tenancies priced using Residential Tenancies Board rent index for equivalent properties in local area.
- Rent freeze subject to annual review during the three-year prohibition period.
Dog Breeding Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Requires local authorities to refuse dog breeding establishment registration when necessary to protect animal welfare; makes this decision mandatory rather than discretionary.
- Increases minimum fines to €5,000 for summary offences and €10,000 for indictment convictions; applies to dog breeding violations.
- Mandates local authorities appoint dedicated authorised persons to enforce dog breeding rules; removes automatic status of dog wardens as authorised persons.
Social Welfare (Payment Order) (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Claire Kerrane
- Extends Liable Relatives Unit powers to issue Determination Orders for Jobseekers Transitional Payment to one-parent families, allowing state to recover costs from liable relatives.
- Enables District Court applications for Payment Orders against liable relatives to recoup contributions toward Jobseekers Transitional Payment costs.
- Amends Social Welfare Act to include Jobseekers Transitional Payment in definitions of allowance and competent authority for enforcement purposes.
Proceeds of Crime (Investment in Disadvantaged Communities) (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Mark Ward
- Requires Minister for Finance to review disadvantaged communities affected by crime every 24 months to identify financial support needs.
- Directs Minister to reinvest Criminal Assets Bureau seizure proceeds into communities identified in reviews to alleviate crime impact.
- Prioritises identified areas when deciding how to use money generated under Proceeds of Crime Act 1996.
Hospital Parking Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Entitles anyone attending out-patient services at public hospitals to three hours free parking, whether as driver or passenger.
- Allows suspension of free parking entitlement at specific hospital car parks if excessive occupancy is determined to be occurring.
- Does not prevent hospitals from independently offering free parking beyond these minimum entitlements.
Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Prohibition of Winter Disconnections) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Réada Cronin
- Amends Electricity Regulation Act 1999 to give Minister explicit power to direct utility regulator on policy matters.
- Introduces moratorium on disconnecting domestic customers from gas and electricity for non-payment during annual fuel allowance season.
- Allows Minister to extend disconnection moratorium to other periods deemed appropriate beyond the fuel allowance season.
Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Increases maximum prison sentence for possessing a knife in public under Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 Section 9, from current level (not specified in memo).
- Applies to knives carried to cause injury, incapacitate, or intimidate persons, including flick knives and adapted articles, when convicted on indictment.
- Aims to deter knife carrying following rise in seizures and stabbings of young persons in Ireland over preceding two years.
Adoption (Information) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Thomas Pringle
- Amends Adoption Act 2010 to give adopted adults unconditional access to their birth certificates without requiring consent or counselling.
- Allows the Registrar General to provide adopted persons with index entries connecting the Adopted Children Register to their original birth registration.
- Removes barriers to adopted persons tracing their birth identity by providing direct access to official records of their birth.
Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Denis Naughten
- Requires courts to order fraudulent claimants to pay defendant's legal costs unless doing so would cause injustice.
- Allows courts discretion to refer cases involving fraudulent evidence to Director of Public Prosecutions for criminal investigation.
- Increases maximum fine District Court can impose for Civil Liability Act offences from €3,000 to €5,000 (class A fine).
Residential Tenancies (Student Rents and Other Protections) (Covid-19) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Landlords must refund rent and charges to student tenants unable to occupy accommodation due to Covid-19 public health guidance or legislation compliance.
- Student tenants cannot be required to pay rent more than one month in advance and need give only 28 days' notice to end tenancy.
- Unpaid rent covered by refund entitlement is not considered arrears; disputes over refunds can be resolved through the Residential Tenancies Board.
Civil Registration (Right of Adoptees to Information) (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Kathleen Funchion
- Allows adopted persons aged 18+ to request information needed to obtain their birth certificate from the state.
- Amends the Civil Registration Act 2004 to establish the right and process for adoptees to access birth records.
- Grants the Minister power to make regulations setting out how adoptees can apply for and receive birth information.
Criminal Justice (Public Order) (Quadbikes and Scramblers) (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Donnelly
- Gardaí gain power to seize and detain quadbikes and scramblers used unlawfully in public places, including parks and green spaces.
- Creates offence of driving quadbike or scrambler in public place; penalties include fine, vehicle seizure, and/or up to 6 months imprisonment.
- Minister empowered to make regulations under the Act to implement these provisions.
Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) (Pets) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Adds mandatory minimum sentence for adults convicted of theft and related offences involving pets to the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
- Defines 'pet' for purposes of the new sentencing provision in the amended Act.
- Bill lapsed; did not progress beyond Second Stage in Dáil Éireann.
Insurance (Restriction on Differential Pricing and Profiling) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Pearse Doherty
- Bans insurers from charging existing customers higher premiums than new customers for motor and home insurance based on loyalty or renewal likelihood.
- Requires insurers to use only risk-related pricing factors and disclose all rating factors applied to each customer's premium calculation.
- Gives Central Bank power to regulate compliance, issue codes of practice, and impose sanctions on non-compliant insurers; requires annual reports to parliament.
Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Remote Parliamentary Voting) Bill 2020
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
- Amends Constitution to allow each House of Oireachtas to set rules permitting remote voting in specified emergency circumstances.
- Enables members unable to attend physically to vote during maternity, paternity, or temporary incapacity without being present.
- Provides flexibility for parliamentary operations during emergencies while maintaining specified and limited scope for remote voting.