Bills
1,078 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2016
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Martin Kenny
- Bans unconventional gas exploration and extraction (fracking) in Ireland.
- Requires public consultation and 'social clauses' before granting oil/gas leases.
- Mandates annual Oireachtas Joint Committee review of all active leases.
Health Disclosure Bill 2016
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Denis Naughten
- Creates a procedure for healthcare providers to disclose patient safety incidents to affected patients.
- Aims to establish a formal process for reporting and communicating adverse events in healthcare settings.
- Bill did not complete the legislative process and is no longer active.
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.
Protection of Minimum Wage Earners Bill 2013
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Pearse Doherty
- Amends Finance Act 2011 to raise income thresholds for universal social charge (USC) liability.
- Aimed to reduce USC burden on lower-income earners by increasing threshold levels.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress beyond First Stage in Dáil.
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.
Gambling Regulation Bill 2022
4 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Creates new Gambling Regulatory Authority to license and regulate betting, gaming, lotteries, and gambling-related products/services, replacing three old laws (1929, 1931, 1956).
- Establishes National Gambling Exclusion Register allowing self-exclusion from online gambling, with mandatory refunds within 7 days and prohibition on licensee contact.
- Creates Social Impact Fund financed by licensee contributions to fund problem gambling research, treatment, and awareness; prohibits children from gambling or employment in industry.
Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Bill 2022
4 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Replaces 1989 incitement law with new offence covering incitement to violence or hatred, making convictions easier; adds offence of denying or trivialising genocide and war crimes.
- Creates aggravated versions of existing crimes (assault, criminal damage, threats, harassment) with enhanced penalties when motivated by hatred based on protected characteristics like race, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
- Requires courts to treat evidence of hate motivation as aggravating factor in sentencing for any offence; DPP consent required to prosecute incitement cases.
Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2024
4 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Extends voting rights for Seanad university seats to all Irish citizens with degrees from designated higher education institutions, replacing the current NUI and University of Dublin constituencies.
- Creates a new six-seat Higher Education constituency; fills casual vacancies using replacement candidate lists instead of bye-elections, with bye-elections only if replacement lists are exhausted.
- Sets candidate nomination threshold at 60 registered electors or €1,800 deposit; limits election spending to €55,000; reimburses successful candidates or those exceeding one-quarter quota up to €13,750.
Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024
4 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Permanently registers approved housing bodies previously set to lose registration on 1 January 2025, removing the requirement to reapply and ensuring continued regulatory oversight.
- Allows Ministers to prescribe household composition for cost rental eligibility and permits alternative allocation methods with additional tenant selection criteria beyond standard processes.
- Expands regulatory coverage to include all state-funded properties under the 1992 Housing Act and cost rental properties, detaching regulation from individual organisation constitutions.
Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Bill 2024
4 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Allows employees with serious physical or mental health conditions to postpone maternity leave for 5-52 weeks, with medical certification and 2-week employer notice required.
- Entitles members of Houses of the Oireachtas to 26 weeks maternity leave, formally called maternity leave for members, when properly notified.
- Amends Maternity Protection Act 1994 and Employment Equality Act 1998; includes provisions for preserving certain institutional records in public interest.
Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024
1 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Creates an independent Agriculture Appeals Review Panel to review decisions made by Appeals Officers under the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001, with 6-month deadline for requesting review.
- Allows Appeals Officers to hold oral hearings remotely by electronic means with party agreement, and permits decisions even if a party fails to attend.
- Removes mandatory retirement age of 70 for members of the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board under the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997.
Social Welfare Bill 2024
1 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Increases weekly welfare rates by €12 across social insurance and means-tested payments; increases maternity, adoptive, paternity and parent's benefit by €15 weekly from January 6, 2025.
- Raises employer PRSI threshold to match National Minimum Wage increase to €13.50, saving employers €616 annually per full-time minimum wage employee.
- Introduces €280 once-off payment for newborn or adopted children born after December 1, 2024; raises Carer's Support Grant by €150 to €2,000.
Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024
24 Oct 2024 Enacted
- Removes mandatory life sentence for murder when offender was under 18 at commission but aged 18+ at sentencing, addressing High Court constitutional ruling.
- Removes mandatory minimum sentences for treason, certain murders (Garda/prison officer), and attempted murders when offender was under 18 at time of crime.
- Applies changes retrospectively to cases committed before this Act's enactment where final judgment has not yet been reached.
Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024
17 Oct 2024 Enacted
- Establishes Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme IV to pay domestic electricity account holders €125 twice (Nov/Dec 2024 and Jan/Feb 2025), funded up to €565.75 million.
- Creates Submeter Support Scheme II to credit active supplier submeter accounts with €125 in two specified payment periods, administered by electricity suppliers.
- Makes both emergency benefit and submeter support payments exempt from income tax; amends Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 accordingly.
Motor Insurance Insolvency Compensation Bill 2024
15 Oct 2024 Enacted
- Establishes Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland as official Compensation Body to handle claims from motor accidents where insurers are insolvent, funded by Insurance Compensation Fund.
- Requires claimants receive compensation payment within three months of accepting offer; streamlines process so injured parties deal directly with Compensation Body rather than multiple liquidators.
- Requires Irish insurers selling motor policies across EU borders to contribute to Insurance Compensation Fund on 'home basis'; enables Minister to set contribution regulations and materiality thresholds for claim audits.
Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Introduces soft opt-out system for organ donation: adults can donate organs after death unless they register objection on Organ Donation Opt-Out Register maintained by HSE.
- Requires consent for all post-mortem examinations in hospitals outside coroner jurisdiction; allows living persons to donate bodies for anatomical examination or public display.
- Repeals Anatomy Act 1832; establishes independent panel to approve certain living donations and altruistic donation; amends 2006 and 2012 EU tissue and organ regulations.
Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Establishes An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri Food Regulator) as independent statutory body to promote fairness and transparency in agricultural and food supply chains.
- Prohibits unfair trading practices in business-to-business agricultural and food relationships, including late payments, unauthorized charges, and improper contract changes.
- Grants Regulator enforcement powers to investigate breaches, conduct inspections, bring proceedings, and publish decisions; Minister may make regulations on unfair practices with consent requirements.
Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 First Stage Withdrawn Bríd Smith
- Removes the foetal viability limit for abortion where pregnant woman's life or serious health is at risk.
- Allows abortion on request before foetal viability and abolishes the 3-day waiting period for such cases.
- Permits abortion for fatal foetal abnormality likely to cause death before or within one year of birth; decriminalises abortion provision.
Appropriation Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Grants statutory authority for all amounts voted by the Dáil in 2022 Estimates, including original, revised and supplementary estimates.
- Sets capital spending carryover from 2022 to 2023 as defined under the Finance Act 2004.
- Authorizes temporary advances from Central Fund to cover welfare payments and electronic transfers between 1-7 January 2023, repayable in January 2023.
Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- An Bord Pleanála can now have up to 14 permanent members (plus temporary appointees) instead of a fixed number; Minister can increase this via order without Oireachtas approval.
- Replaced nominating-body system with independent, objective procedure for recommending board members; removed one-third limit on members appointed under subsection 104(4).
- Foreshore Act definition expanded to include water column above seabed; applies retroactively to existing leases, licences, and pending applications unless it conflicts with constitutional rights.
Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Establishes corporate credit unions (credit unions whose members are other credit unions) and allows public bodies to become credit union members.
- Reduces board meeting frequency from 10 to minimum 6 annually; allows board to delegate member application reviews; permits managers to serve as directors.
- Allows Minister to set maximum interest rates on credit union loans; permits credit unions to refer members to other credit unions for unavailable services.
Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Local authority members gain statutory maternity leave equivalent to employees under Maternity Protection Act 1994, with leave ending when their term of office ends.
- Members on maternity leave no longer risk automatic resignation; casual vacancy does not occur, and no council resolution needed to extend leave beyond six months.
- Members can nominate temporary substitute to fill their role during maternity leave, illness, or extended absence 'in good faith,' appointed by co-option until member returns or term ends.
Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Sets new risk equalisation credits payable to health insurers from 1 April 2023 to compensate for costs of insuring older and less healthy members under Ireland's community-rated health insurance market.
- Revises stamp duty levy rates on insurers from 1 April 2023 to fund the updated risk equalisation credits, maintaining the scheme as Exchequer neutral.
- Expands powers of Health Insurance Authority's authorised officers to enforce regulations against unregistered entities and require identity details from suspected offenders.