Bills
367 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed James Browne
- Adds 'mental health status' as a new protected ground in employment discrimination law, preventing employers from refusing jobs based on applicants' mental health.
- Adds 'mental health status' as a new protected ground in service provision law, preventing discrimination when accessing goods, facilities and services.
- Treats mental health status separately from disability under equality law, using human rights basis rather than restrictive medical definition of mental illness.
Mental Health Parity Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed James Browne
- Places legal duty on Minister for Health to promote mental health parity with physical health across the health system.
- Requires all health organisations to meet parity obligations for mental health services and integrate mental with physical care.
- Aims to address systemic neglect and resource shortages in mental health through policy and cultural shift in governance.
Genuine Progress Indicators and National Distributional Accounts Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Brendan Howlin
- Requires CSO and NESC to develop and publish Genuine Progress Indicators annually, measuring well-being by incorporating environmental and social factors beyond GDP.
- Requires CSO and NESC to publish National Distributional Accounts showing how economic growth is distributed across income groups before and after tax.
- Requires NESC to assess each Budget's impact on inequality, poverty reduction, and income redistribution annually and cumulatively every five years.
Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed
- Publishes quarterly names and addresses of people convicted of social welfare fraud to deter fraudulent activity.
- Extends earnings disregard for people with disabilities to all employment types, not just rehabilitative work.
- Allows voluntary use of Public Services Card for identity verification with external providers like credit unions and utilities.
Mortgage Arrears Resolution (Family Home) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Michael McGrath
- Creates a Mortgage Resolution Office to handle disputes over mortgages on family homes outside courts.
- Allows the Office to issue binding Mortgage Resolution Orders to resolve mortgage arrears cases.
- Establishes an independent appeals process for people who disagree with the Office's decisions.
Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Adds 'disadvantaged socio-economic status' as a new protected ground in Employment Equality Act 1998, prohibiting employers from discriminating against job applicants based on their area or socio-economic background.
- Adds 'disadvantaged socio-economic status' as a new protected ground in Equal Status Act 2000, preventing service providers from discriminating against people based on where they live or their socio-economic background.
- Expands definitions of discriminatory grounds in both Acts to include the new socio-economic status ground alongside existing nine protected grounds.
Waste Reduction Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Eamon Ryan
- Bans single-use non-compostable cups and tableware from sale or use.
- Introduces deposit and return schemes for beverage containers to encourage recycling.
- Bill lapsed; did not progress beyond Second Stage debate in Dáil.
Health and Safety (Funfair) (Amendment) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Niall Collins
- Amends 2005 workplace safety law to set stricter health and safety rules specifically for funfairs and amusement attractions.
- Aims to improve operator and visitor protection through enhanced standards, though specific new requirements are not detailed in title.
- Bill did not complete parliament—lapsed before becoming law, so these changes were not implemented.
Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Expands Policing Authority's oversight powers to monitor Garda Commissioner and police service performance.
- Amends Garda Síochána Inspectorate provisions; specific changes not detailed in title provided.
- Bill lapsed before completion; final scope and related provisions unknown.
Sale of Illicit Goods Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed John Lahart
- Makes it an offence to buy illicit alcohol, tobacco, or solid fuel if you knew or should have known taxes weren't paid or goods were counterfeit.
- Makes it an offence to buy alcohol, tobacco, or solid fuel from unregistered or unlicensed retailers, with €100 on-the-spot fines issued initially.
- Establishes criminal penalties: class B fine (€4,000) or up to 6 months jail for first offence; class A fine (€5,000) or up to 12 months for repeat offences.
Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Billy Kelleher
- Requires doctors to declare annually to the Medical Council any income or gifts received from medical suppliers or pharmaceutical companies.
- Declarations must be made in statutory form; no thresholds or exemption amounts specified in long title.
- Bill lapsed; did not proceed beyond Second Stage debate in 2017.
Civil Liability (Amendment) (Prevention of Benefits from Homicide) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Prevents people convicted of homicide from inheriting from or claiming benefits from their victim's estate.
- Amends succession law so killers cannot profit financially from causing someone's death through inheritance or legal claims.
- Applies the legal principle that wrongdoing should not create financial advantage, protecting victims' families from this harm.
Pensions (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Willie Penrose
- Amends Pensions Act 1990 to make solvent employers liable for pension scheme funding deficits when winding up defined benefit schemes, treating unpaid amounts as contractual debt to scheme trustees.
- Prevents employers from removing pension liabilities from their financial accounts without fully funding scheme deficits, closing a loophole allowing companies to avoid obligations.
- Applies to defined benefit schemes operating before the Act commences; does not affect other legal remedies available to pension trustees for scheme shortfalls.
Pensions (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Willie O'Dea
- Amends the Pensions Act 1990 to create an appeals process when pension scheme trustees decide to wind up a scheme.
- Gives scheme members a mechanism to challenge or appeal the trustees' decision to wind up their pension scheme.
- Bill lapsed and did not become law; information about specific appeal procedures or timeframes is not available from the long title.
Prohibition of Above-cost Ticket Touting Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Stephen Donnelly
- Makes it illegal to sell tickets for major sporting, musical, or theatrical events above their official price.
- Applies to anyone selling or offering tickets for resale at above face value.
- Bill lapsed during Second Stage; did not become law.
National Famine Commemoration Day Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Colm Brophy
- Creates a National Famine Commemoration Day to officially remember the Great Famine and its impact.
- Establishes formal commemorative arrangements, though bill lapsed before becoming law.
- Scope and specific date for commemoration not detailed in long title alone.
University College Galway (Amendment) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Éamon Ó Cuív
- Cancels the 2006 amendment to the University College Galway Act 1929, reversing changes made that year.
- Makes new amendments to the original 1929 Act governing University College Galway's structure or operations. Specific changes not detailed in title.
- Bill did not complete enactment; it lapsed without becoming law.
Public Services and Procurement (Social Value) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Frank O'Rourke
- Public bodies can consider economic, social, and environmental benefits when awarding service contracts, not just price.
- Aims to help small and medium businesses compete more fairly for public procurement tenders.
- Bill lapsed during legislative process; did not become law.
Ethical Public Investment (Tobacco) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Sean Fleming
- Bans public money investment in tobacco company stocks and bonds, directly or indirectly.
- Affects government, state bodies, and pension funds holding tobacco securities.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; status as of 2017.
Famine Memorial Day Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Establishes an annual Famine Memorial Day held on the same date each year to commemorate the Irish Famine.
- Does not specify which date the memorial day falls on; bill lapsed before details were finalised.
- Bill did not progress beyond Second Stage debate; no legislation currently requires annual Famine Memorial Day observance.
Employment Equality (Abolition of Mandatory Retirement Age) Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed John Brady
- Amends Employment Equality Act 1998 to remove mandatory retirement age requirements for employees.
- Allows workers to continue employment beyond current mandatory retirement thresholds unless employer has justified grounds.
- Bill lapsed in Oireachtas; did not progress beyond Second Stage to become law.
Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (Amendment) Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Clare Daly
- Expands approved services available to former residents of residential institutions under the 2012 Fund Act.
- Improves application processing efficiency for former residents seeking support or compensation.
- Removes requirement to establish a special bank account in the Minister for Health's name.
Prisons (Solitary Confinement) (Amendment) Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Clare Daly
- Amends the Prisons Act 2007 to create specific rules governing solitary confinement use in Irish prisons.
- Exact provisions unclear from title alone; Bill lapsed before completion, so changes never became law.
- Sponsored by Clare Daly; did not progress past Second Stage debate in the Oireachtas.
Local Government Reform (Amendment) (Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin) Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed John Lahart
- Allows Dublin residents to vote on whether to directly elect a mayor instead of the current council-appointed system.
- Establishes process for holding a public referendum on direct mayoral election and related governance changes.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress beyond parliamentary Second Stage debate.