Bills
359 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Vacant Housing Refurbishment Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Barry Cowen
- Creates expedited 'one-stop-shop' approval process in each council for residential conversions, refurbishments, and change-of-use developments, with design and planning decisions achievable within one to two working days.
- Establishes new exempted development categories subject to council confirmation, with independent council-employed inspectors certifying compliance via standardized checklists instead of traditional building completion certificates.
- Amends planning law to allow expedited section 5 exempted-development declarations within 2 weeks for standard cases and 4 weeks for protected structures, replacing the standard 4 and 12-week timeframes.
Island Fisheries (Heritage Licence) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Martin Kenny
- Allows island fishermen to get heritage licences to continue traditional fishing practices on Ireland's offshore islands.
- Enables fishing methods and practices tied to island communities' cultural heritage to be formally permitted and protected.
- Bill did not progress beyond Second Stage debate and lapsed without becoming law.
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
- Empowers the Human Rights and Equality Commission to create a scheme requiring employers with 50+ employees to publish gender pay gap data.
- Scheme must mandate disclosure of mean and median pay differences between male and female workers, bonus pay gaps, and quartile breakdowns by full-time/part-time status.
- Employers who breach scheme requirements commit an offence liable to summary conviction with a Class A fine; data supports enforcement action under existing equality legislation.
National Minimum Wage (Protection of Employee Tips) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to protect service sector employees' right to receive customer tips and gratuities.
- Ensures tips paid by customers reach employees rather than being retained by employers or deducted from wages.
- Bill lapsed before completion; specific enforcement mechanisms and penalties not yet enacted into law.
Protection of Employees (Collective Redundancies) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed David Cullinane
- Provides protections for employees facing collective redundancy when their employer becomes insolvent.
- Addresses related matters connected to employee safeguards in insolvency-driven mass layoff situations.
- Bill lapsed during legislative process; specific protections and implementation details not enacted.
Sale of Tickets (Sporting and Cultural Events) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Maurice Quinlivan
- Regulates how tickets for sporting and cultural events can be sold to prevent unfair practices.
- Applies rules to ticket reselling and distribution for certain events; specific scope details not provided in title.
- Bill lapsed before completion; did not become law. Related matters concerning ticket sales also addressed.
Social Housing Bill 2016
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Amends Planning and Development Act 2000 to require higher percentages of social and affordable housing in private residential developments.
- Applies increased social housing requirements to strategic development zones as well as standard residential projects.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; specific percentage requirements and implementation details not specified in long title.
Vulnerable Persons Bill 2015
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Mattie McGrath
- Protects elderly and vulnerable people lacking mental or physical capacity from financial abuse by safeguarding their financial autonomy.
- Establishes reasonable grounds for intervention to prevent financial exploitation of vulnerable persons who cannot adequately manage their own finances.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; specific protections and enforcement mechanisms not detailed in available information.
Electoral (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Éamon Ó Cuív
- Amends three election laws to change how voting works across the island of Ireland.
- Modifies Electoral Act 1992, Referendum Act 1994, and Presidential Elections Act 1993 with related provisions.
- Bill lapsed during Second Stage; no information available on specific voting changes proposed.
Child Sex Offenders (Information and Monitoring) Bill 2012
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Denis Naughten
- Establishes Information on Child Sex Offenders (ICSO) scheme enabling parents, guardians, and school/club leaders to request Garda disclosure of whether specific individuals pose sexual danger to children.
- Requires Gardaí to disclose proportional risk information within 48 hours when legitimate enquiries are made, subject to Superintendent approval and appeal rights for refused requests.
- Amends Sex Offenders Act 2001 to require offenders notify local Garda district headquarters within 3 days of release, submit photographs and fingerprints, improving monitoring of released sex offenders.
Property Services (Land Price Register) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Second Stage Defeated Cian O'Callaghan
- Expands Residential Property Price Register to include property size and owner details for non-primary residences; makes it searchable electronically.
- Creates new Land and Other Non-Residential Transaction Database capturing land/property prices, ownership, location, zoning, and sale dates; publicly searchable.
- Broadens Commercial Leases Database to include lessor/lessee names and addresses; makes it electronically searchable.
Regulation of Tenderers Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Second Stage Defeated Mairéad Farrell
- Requires contracting authorities to reject and disqualify abnormally low construction tender bids (15% below adjusted average) unless tenderers adequately explain their pricing to the authority.
- When abnormally low tenders are accepted, mandates notification to Chief Procurement Officer, enhanced contract management oversight, and regular reporting throughout contract duration.
- Permits contracting authorities to exclude economic operators from procurement procedures based on significant or persistent deficiencies in performance on prior public contracts.
Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) (No. 2) Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 Second Stage Defeated Eoin Ó Broin
- Defers termination dates of residential tenancies expiring between bill passage and 31 March 2024, unless grounds involve tenant breach or rent arrears.
- Extends short-term tenancies (under 6 months) to 18 June 2024 minimum if tenant is not in breach of obligations.
- Phases deferred terminations to spread housing demand on services over time after the winter emergency period ends.
Forestry (Planning Permission) (Amendment) Bill 2018
6 Nov 2020 Second Stage Defeated Martin Kenny
- Requires planning permission for all forestry projects over 5 hectares, changing previous exemptions under the Forestry Act 2014.
- Amends the Planning and Development Act 2000 to include new forestry permission requirements in planning law.
- Bill was defeated at Second Stage; did not proceed to further legislative consideration.
Litter Pollution (Amendment) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Gerry Horkan
- Increases fines for people convicted of littering offences under the 1997 Litter Pollution Act.
- Bill lapsed during Second Stage; did not become law.
- Sponsor: Gerry Horkan. Specific fine amounts not detailed in title provided.
Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Changes Údarás na Gaeltachta governance from appointment to democratic elections for board members.
- Enables citizens in Gaeltacht regions to directly elect representatives to the organisation's decision-making body.
- Bill lapsed during legislative process; status and scope of final provisions unknown.
National Minimum Wage (Removal of Sub-minimum Rates of Pay) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to remove lower pay rates for workers aged 16 and over.
- Ends sub-minimum wages for employees in their first two years of employment.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress past Second Stage debate.
Defence (Veterans Lapel Badge) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Victor Boyhan
- Creates a lapel badge to honor former members of Irish Army, Air Corps, Naval Service, and Reserve Defence Forces.
- Badge recognizes service but bill lapsed in 2017—not enacted into law.
- Sponsor Victor Boyhan proposed this; practical details on eligibility and design not specified in long title.
Seanad Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Alice-Mary Higgins
- Expands Seanad voting to include Irish passport holders abroad, Northern Ireland residents, and graduates; creates five vocational constituencies plus one higher education constituency.
- Establishes a statutory Seanad Electoral Commission to organise elections and manage voter registers; replaces university-specific voting with broader higher education graduate voting.
- Replaces by-election system with substitute candidate lists; introduces electronic ballot printing and QR codes; comes into effect after election of 25th Seanad (around 2020).
Immigration (Reform) (Regularisation of Residency Status) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Victor Boyhan
- Grants residence permits to people whose asylum, subsidiary protection, or leave-to-remain applications remain undecided after four years, valid for minimum three years and renewable.
- Grants residence permits to people with unexecuted deportation orders issued over one year ago with no reasonable prospect of enforcement within six months.
- Residence permit holders gain rights to work, travel, education, medical care, social welfare, and property ownership; Minister can revoke permits for serious crime, public order, or security reasons.
Corporate Manslaughter (No. 2) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Mark Daly
- Creates new crime: corporate manslaughter when an undertaking's management causes death through gross negligence.
- Makes high-level managers personally liable for deaths caused by their grossly negligent management decisions.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress past Second Stage parliamentary debate.
Protection of Employment (Uncertain Hours) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
- Removes loophole that excluded casual workers from zero-hours protections under the 1997 Organisation of Working Time Act, extending pay entitlements to those initially engaged casually.
- Allows employees working 6+ months with regular patterns to request written contracts reflecting actual hours worked, with employers able to refuse only for seasonal/emergency reasons.
- Creates enforcement mechanism through Workplace Relations Commission adjudication officers with power to order compliance and compensation up to 104 weeks' remuneration for breaches.
Health (Amendment) (Professional Home Care) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Colm Burke
- Amends Health Act 2007 to create regulatory framework for professional home care providers; designates them as regulated centres subject to HIQA standards.
- Requires needs assessments, written care plans, complaints procedures, abuse protections, and medication logs for all home care recipients.
- Establishes Social Services Inspectorate registry of professional home carers; extends Minister's regulation-making power to professional home care undertakings.
Mental Health (Capacity To Consent To Treatment) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Máire Devine
- Amends Mental Health Act 2001 to allow people aged 16+ to consent to mental health treatment without parental permission.
- Enables minors over 16 to make their own decisions about mental health care, changing current consent requirements.
- Bill lapsed; did not become law. Status and practical effect unknown as it did not complete the legislative process.