Bills
1,078 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2018
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Maureen O'Sullivan
- Amends Sexual Offences Act 2001 to give judges power to restrict travel abroad for convicted sex offenders where risk to vulnerable persons in inadequate child-protection jurisdictions exists.
- Judges assess each case individually, considering offender's risk level and rehabilitation, deciding whether to impose travel restrictions in the common good.
- Enables courts to prevent sex offenders traveling to countries without adequate child protection laws and services.
Overcrowded Housing Bill 2018
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Barry Cowen
- Creates legal definition of overcrowding in housing and sets standards for Planning Authorities to assess it under Housing Acts.
- Increases penalties for building owners who provide overcrowded accommodation.
- Bill did not complete parliamentary process; lapsed without becoming law.
Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Richard Boyd Barrett
- Amends 1960 Petroleum Act to require climate factors—global temperature, CO₂ levels—when issuing mining and oil licences.
- Decision-makers must consider national and global environmental impacts before approving petroleum exploration, extraction, or mineral development projects.
- Bill lapsed at Second Stage; did not become law. Would have added environmental screening to licence approval process.
Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2018
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Pearse Doherty
- Extends Central Bank Act 1942 to make providing false or misleading information to the Central Bank a 'prescribed contravention', allowing the Bank to conduct inquiries and impose administrative sanctions.
- Creates criminal offence for knowingly or recklessly providing false or misleading information to the Central Bank, punishable by up to 12 months imprisonment or fine on summary conviction, or up to 5 years imprisonment or €250,000 fine on indictment.
- Amends Criminal Justice Act 2011 Schedule 1 to classify the new offence as a relevant offence for criminal justice purposes.
Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2018
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Catherine Murphy
- Extends the minimum notice period landlords must give before ending a tenancy.
- Requires rent data to be made available so tenants can access pricing information.
- Increases the maximum fines that can be imposed under residential tenancy laws.
Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Brian Stanley
- Requires electricity suppliers to offer a tariff to small-scale generators who feed excess power back to the grid.
- Aims to encourage growth in household and small-scale renewable electricity production through guaranteed payment for exported power.
- Bill lapsed during Second Stage; no information available on specific tariff rates, supplier obligations scope, or implementation timeline.
Online Advertising and Social Media (Transparency) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed James Lawless
- Requires transparency in who pays for political ads shown online and on social media platforms.
- Aims to let voters see funding sources behind online political advertising campaigns.
- Bill lapsed before becoming law; specific requirements and enforcement mechanism details unavailable.
Digital Safety Commissioner Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
- Creates a Digital Safety Commissioner office to oversee how digital platforms remove harmful online content and enforce rules.
- Requires digital service companies to adopt codes of practice governing removal of harmful communications from their platforms.
- Establishes an advisory committee to support the Commissioner's work regulating digital services and content moderation procedures.
Multi-Party Actions Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Pearse Doherty
- Allows multiple claimants with similar claims to sue together in one action, reducing individual legal costs.
- Changes civil court procedures to streamline multi-party lawsuits and make litigation more affordable for groups.
- Bill did not progress beyond Second Stage debate and has since lapsed without becoming law.
Comptroller and Auditor General (Accountability of Recipients of Public Funds) (Amendment) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed David Cullinane
- Expands Comptroller and Auditor General's power to inspect accounts and records of anyone receiving public funds.
- Aims to increase accountability and transparency of public money recipients beyond current scope.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; specific amendments and enforcement mechanisms not detailed in available information.
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.
Waste Reduction (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Brian Stanley
- Amends Waste Management Act 1996, Litter Pollution Act 1997, and Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to address waste reduction.
- Specific amendments and practical effects not detailed in available information; bill lapsed at First Stage without full text.
- Sponsored by Brian Stanley; did not progress through Dáil, so changes were never enacted into law.
Roads (Amendment) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Aengus Ó Snodaigh
- Amends Roads Act 1993 to exempt sea and river rescue teams from paying road tolls.
- Allows emergency rescue services to use toll roads without charges for rapid response.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage and has lapsed.
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.
Trade Union (Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Aengus Ó Snodaigh
- Allows Gardaí and Defence Forces members to join trade unions and associations, ending current legal ban.
- Permits Defence Forces associations to become trade unions if they wish to reconstitute themselves.
- Bans strike action by Gardaí, Defence Forces, and their unions to protect public safety.
Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) (Amendment) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Pearse Doherty
- Regulates credit owners who are unregulated, to protect borrowers in credit agreements where owners operate outside current oversight.
- Applies consumer protections to borrowers whose credit is owned by unregulated entities, filling a regulatory gap.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; specific amendments to Consumer Protection Act and practical borrower protections not detailed in available text.
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.
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.
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.
Civil Law (Missing Persons) (No. 2) Bill 2016
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Jonathan O'Brien
- Allows family of missing persons to apply to County Registrar or Circuit Court for interim manager to handle property matters (paying bills, loans) for up to 4 years total, without proving death.
- Establishes statutory process for Coroner (if death virtually certain) or Circuit Court (if death highly probable) to issue presumption of death orders, with no mandatory waiting period but 7-year rule retained.
- Presumes marriage/civil partnership ends upon presumption of death order; missing person returning can apply to vary or dissolve orders and claim property rights acquired in good faith by third parties are protected.
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.
Registration of Wills Bill 2016
14 Nov 2024 Fifth Stage Lapsed Catherine Ardagh
- Extends civil registration service to register wills by recording testator's name, address, and will custodian details to prevent wills remaining unknown after death.
- Registered will information remains private until testator's death; only accessible to Registrar General on request after death registration or by living testator.
- Amends Civil Registration Act 2004 to give registrars power to register wills, establishes appeals process for refused registrations, and creates offences for non-compliance.
Equal Status (Equality Proofing) (Amendment) Bill 2016
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed David Cullinane
- Requires public bodies to consider reducing socio-economic and other inequalities when making decisions.
- Mandates equality impact assessments for measures likely to significantly affect equality of opportunity.
- Gives Equality Authority role in administering new provisions; amends Equal Status Act 2000.