Bills
1,078 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Road Traffic (All-Terrain Vehicle and Scrambler Motorcycle) (Amendment) Bill 2020
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Paul McAuliffe
- Expands 'public place' definition in road traffic law to include parks and beaches, enabling gardaí to enforce registration and insurance rules for all-terrain vehicles and scrambler bikes in these areas.
- Makes it an offence to ride all-terrain vehicles or scrambler bikes dangerously in public places, with vehicle confiscation as penalty.
- Allows gardaí to seize scrambler bikes from dwelling curtilages where they believe the vehicle has been used to commit an offence under this Bill.
Consumer Protection (Loyalty Penalty and Customer Complaints) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Ged Nash
- Bans subscription service providers from charging existing customers higher renewal prices than new customers for the same or substantially identical service.
- Requires subscription service traders to establish complaint-handling schemes meeting Commission-issued guidelines, with procedures for escalation and specified response timeframes.
- Allows Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to enforce compliance through fines and remedies, treating non-compliance as prohibited commercial practices.
River Shannon Management Agency Bill 2020
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Sorca Clarke
- Establishes a River Shannon Management Agency to coordinate flood risk management along the River Shannon, with powers to build and maintain drainage systems and conduct relevant works.
- Agency must coordinate with existing bodies like ESB and National Parks and Wildlife Service, and provide the Minister with a strategic flood management plan within three months of establishment.
- Agency can enter agreements with local authorities and other public bodies, report annually to the Minister, and receive ministerial guidelines to guide its flood management functions.
Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Pearse Doherty
- Requires insurance providers to report information to the Central Bank about how personal injuries guidelines affected their insurance claim costs and premiums.
- Minister for Finance can make regulations specifying what data insurers must provide, including actual versus expected claim amounts and premium changes.
- Central Bank must present annual reports to the Minister, who brings them before both Houses of the Oireachtas.
Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Citizenship for Children) Bill 2020
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Mick Barry
- Restores birthright citizenship to all persons born on the island of Ireland, removing restrictions introduced by the 2004 Act.
- Grants Irish citizenship to children resident three years within any four-year period as minors in Ireland.
- Allows Minister to waive naturalisation conditions for children with Irish citizen siblings, deeming them to have 'Irish associations'.
Residential Tenancies (Tenants' Rights) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Ivana Bacik
- Extends landlord definition to include receivers and lienholders, ensuring tenants' rights protection when lenders repossess mortgaged rental properties.
- Removes landlord's right to terminate tenancies after 6 years without grounds and eliminates sale as termination ground, providing indefinite tenure security.
- Caps deposits at one month's rent, limits furnished-to-unfurnished conversion, restricts pet bans, and allows clothes-drying in gardens without landlord prohibition.
Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2024
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Mairéad Farrell
- This bill modifies the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, but the specific amendments aren't detailed in the provided information.
- The bill is sponsored by Mairéad Farrell and is currently at Committee Stage in the legislative process.
- Without access to the bill's text, the practical effects on tenants, landlords, or rental rules cannot be specified.
Companies (Protection of Employees’ Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Mick Barry
- Amends Companies Act 2014 to recognize redundancy payments agreed in collective agreements as creditor claims in company liquidations.
- Grants employees preferential creditor status in company liquidations, improving their position relative to other creditors.
- Protects employee entitlements under collective agreements during winding up of insolvent companies.
Irish Corporate Governance (Gender Balance) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Emer Higgins
- Companies must report annually to the Companies Registration Office on boardroom gender balance and achieve 33% representation of each gender within one year, rising to 40% within three years.
- Companies can explain non-compliance under a 'comply and explain' model; the High Court may compel compliance if explanations are inadequate.
- Compliant companies may obtain a CRO certificate to demonstrate leadership on gender balance and attract talent.
Regulation of Lobbying (Post-Term Employment as Lobbyist) Bill 2020
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Ged Nash
- Amends the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 to make breaching the one-year cooling-off period for senior officials becoming lobbyists a 'relevant contravention,' enabling SIPO enforcement.
- Grants SIPO power to investigate cooling-off breaches via appointed officers who can request documents, access premises with consent or warrant, and maintain confidentiality.
- Makes cooling-off violations punishable by summary conviction (class C fine) or indictment (fine and/or up to 2 years imprisonment); reasonable steps defence available.
Commission for Future Generations Bill 2023
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Marc Ó Cathasaigh
- Establishes independent Commission for Future Generations to report within 12 months on creating an Office of Ombudsman for Future Generations to represent future generations' interests.
- Commission may recommend approaches to measuring societal well-being, sustainable development practices across public bodies, and a potential Joint Oireachtas Committee on Future Generations.
- Addresses gap in protecting future generations' interests by creating dedicated oversight body, modeled on Wales's Future Generations Commissioner framework.
Coercion of a Minor (Misuse of Drugs Amendment) Bill 2022
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Martin Kenny
- Creates new criminal offence: causing or coercing a minor to possess controlled drugs for sale or supply, regardless of quantity.
- Prosecution need not prove the substance was controlled or that defendant knew the person was a child.
- Maximum penalty: 10 years imprisonment and/or fine if tried in Circuit Court; triable in that court.
Children and Family Relationships (Amendment) Bill 2023
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Ivana Bacik
- Expands legal pathways to parentage for people with donor-conceived children born or conceived outside Ireland or outside fertility clinics, including those using known donors before 2015.
- Introduces 'best interests of child' principle into court decisions on parentage, allowing judicial discretion to grant parentage even where technical requirements aren't fully met.
- Grants Irish citizenship to all donor-conceived children through either parent; creates presumption of maternity for married same-sex female couples; removes age limits on parentage declarations.
Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2022
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Ged Nash
- Central Bank must assess mortgage market competition quarterly, examining interest rates, borrower switching ease, lenders' costs, and profit margins to identify market failures.
- Where rates unjustifiably exceed costs, Central Bank can direct lenders to cap variable rates by specific amount, margin, or market average; breaches enforced via High Court with doubled-profit fines.
- Lenders prohibited from charging existing and new borrowers different rates for same loan category; breaches trigger court compensation orders and doubled-profit fines.
Public Services and Procurement (Workers' Rights) Bill 2017
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Richard Boyd Barrett
- Public contracts cannot use lower wages or worse working conditions as competitive advantages in bidding.
- Bidders must maintain nationally established minimum wage and employment standards; selection criteria will reflect this requirement.
- Different rules may apply to contracts above or below EU spending thresholds; protects workers across all public procurement.
Provision of Objective Sex Education Bill 2018
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Mick Barry
- Requires schools to provide factual, objective relationships and sexuality education regardless of school ethos or religious character.
- Aims to ensure all students access same evidence-based content, independent of school's distinctive values or mission.
- Bill at committee stage; specific curriculum content, implementation timeline, and exemption details not yet finalised in legislation.
Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Vincent P. Martin
- Bans importing non-native honey bees to protect Ireland's native bee species from cross-breeding and genetic dilution.
- Makes forging animal health certificates a criminal offence; appoints authorised officers to enforce the import ban.
- Aims to preserve native Irish honey bee biodiversity and prevent ecosystem damage from non-native bee species.
Protection of Private Residences (Against Targeted Picketing) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Malcolm Byrne
- Creates legal prevention against targeted picketing at private homes, making it unlawful to deliberately picket someone's residence.
- Aims to protect homeowners' privacy and safety from organized protest activity focused on individual addresses.
- Bill currently at Second Stage debate; specific enforcement measures, penalties, and exemptions not yet detailed in available information.
Protection of Hedgerows Bill 2024
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Brian Leddin
- Establishes a register of significant hedgerows and gives the Minister power to make regulations protecting them from removal except in specified circumstances.
- Prohibits removal of significant hedgerows and creates an appeals procedure for decisions; establishes offences for breaching the Act.
- Amends Roads Act 1993, Forestry Act 2014, Communications Regulation Act 2002, Electricity Supply Act 1927, Transport Acts to align with hedgerow protections.
Protection of Hares Bill 2023
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Jennifer Whitmore
- Amends Wildlife Act 1976 to ban Minister from issuing licences for live hare coursing, making the practice unlawful.
- Extends full Wildlife Act 1976 protections to hares, a native Irish species historically used in coursing.
- Removes exemptions in Wildlife Act sections 26 and 34 that previously allowed hare coursing under licence.
Protection of Children’s Health (Idling of Mechanically Propelled Vehicles in Vicinity of Schools) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Jennifer Whitmore
- Creates new offence: leaving vehicle engine running stationary within 100 metres of school premises without reasonable excuse. Enforced by Gardaí and local authorities.
- Allows fixed penalty notices as alternative to prosecution for idling offence, with amounts set by regulation under Road Traffic Act 2010.
- Enables road traffic signs to alert drivers to idling restrictions near schools; Minister must issue guidance and conduct annual reviews.
Protection of Accident Victims from Non-Consensual Recording of Images Bill 2022
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Duncan Smith
- Makes it an offence to record or publish images of accident victims who are dead, seriously injured, or in shock without their consent, if this causes distress or interferes with privacy.
- Penalties are a class A fine or imprisonment up to 12 months or both. Exception: sharing images to get emergency help or by gardaí performing duties.
- Provides public interest defence if publication was justified by overriding public interest considerations and disclosure was not excessively intrusive into private life.
Prohibition of Fossil Fuel Advertising Bill 2024
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Gino Kenny
- Bans companies from advertising fossil fuels, fossil-fuelled vehicles and flights, except on-premises sales by that company or Fossil Fuel Information Commission publications.
- Prohibits commercial sponsorship by fossil fuel and fossil-fuelled vehicle companies.
- Establishes a Fossil Fuel Information Commission to enable public product and price comparisons; Minister can make regulations to set it up.
Proceeds of Crime (Gross Human Rights Abuses) Bill 2020
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Brendan Howlin
- Amends Proceeds of Crime Acts to treat foreign conduct as 'criminal conduct' if it constitutes gross human rights abuse, even if not illegal in the foreign state, enabling asset seizure.
- Defines gross human rights abuse as severe physical/mental suffering inflicted by public officials against those exposing illegal activity or promoting human rights, performed in official capacity.
- Applies retroactively to conduct and property obtained before or after the bill's passage, provided some property from the conduct is located in Ireland.