Bills
1,049 bills tracked.
EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Allows CRU to direct emergency measures protecting electricity supply; EirGrid can buy power plants with government funding and higher borrowing limits.
- EirGrid can make agreements with electricity generators and receive financial support from the Environment Minister for acquiring generation equipment.
- Amends 1999 Electricity Act to pass certain public service obligation benefits to customers; increases Bord na Móna's borrowing under 1998 Turf Act.
Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Amends section 8 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005; specific changes to that section not detailed in provided information.
- Includes related matters alongside the main amendment, but exact scope of these provisions is not specified.
- Became law in 2022; practical effects depend on section 8 amendments, which require the full text to explain clearly.
Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Amends 2015 law on assisted decision-making for people with disabilities to better align with UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Updates jury eligibility, voting rights, and disability authority functions to remove barriers for people with disabilities in civic participation.
- Modifies human rights, freedom of information, and disability laws to strengthen protections and ensure compliance with disability rights convention.
Consumer Rights Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Consolidates consumer rights for buying goods, digital content, and services from traders. Sets out what consumers can claim if items are faulty or don't match descriptions.
- Bans unfair contract terms that give traders unreasonable advantage over consumers. Implements EU directives on digital content sales and goods purchases.
- Updates hire-purchase and consumer-hire rules under Consumer Credit Act 1995. Strengthens enforcement of consumer protection laws against traders.
Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Expands role of guardians ad litem (child advocates) appointed under child care law, giving them broader duties protecting children's interests in court.
- Allows Minister's officers to attend certain closed child welfare proceedings for specific purposes, improving information sharing in child protection cases.
- Updates five child protection laws and repeals parts of 2011 amendments to modernise vetting, safeguarding, and child welfare procedures across agencies.
Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates a new Judicial Appointments Commission to recommend judges for appointment based on merit and transparent selection procedures, replacing the previous Advisory Board.
- Amends qualification and eligibility requirements for judicial office and requires the Commission to publish its selection criteria and required knowledge and skills.
- Dissolves the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board and modifies related acts including the Courts of Justice Act 1936, Courts Act 1973, and Judicial Council Act 2019.
Planning and Development, Maritime and Valuation (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Prevents advertising rental properties in rent pressure zones for under 14 days, and streamlines planning applications by allowing consultation before full details are confirmed.
- Removes the requirement to apply for leave for substitute consent in planning; allows appeals to An Bord Pleanála for adjoining lands; changes judicial review procedures.
- Establishes Maritime Area Regulatory Authority chief executive role; allows Commissioner of Valuation to revoke valuation orders with ministerial consent; extends valuation list publication deadlines.
Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Central Bank can now collect data on deductions insurers make from claim payments, amending the 2018 Claims Database Act.
- Insurers must disclose deductions from claim payments and share information affecting claim validity with customers and regulator.
- Rules updated for UK/Gibraltar reinsurers operating in Ireland; Central Bank to report on insurer pricing practices.
Sick Leave Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Employees get up to 3 statutory sick leave days per year, with pay calculated as prescribed by regulations.
- Minister can adjust the number of sick days allowed; Labour Court can exempt employers in certain circumstances.
- Employers must keep records of sick leave; amends Workplace Relations Act 2015 to support these provisions.
Electoral Reform Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates Electoral Commission to manage voter registration, oversee elections, review constituencies, and regulate online political advertising during campaigns.
- Modernizes voter registration through continuous individual application, data sharing between authorities, pending lists for 16-17 year-olds, and anonymous registration in limited cases.
- Amends Electoral Act 1997 to increase political party donation transparency, requires consolidated annual accounts, permits fundraising lotteries, and enables pandemic/island polling.
Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates circular economy strategy, fund, and EPA programme. Bans certain single-use items and levies others to reduce waste.
- Requires segregated waste bins and pay-as-you-throw charging for businesses. Introduces food waste prevention strategy and reuse/repair targets.
- Restricts new coal, lignite, and oil shale licences. Gives EPA oversight of planning-linked licence applications under environmental law.
Thirty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Neutrality) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 First Stage Defeated Bríd Smith
- Proposed constitutional amendment to modify Ireland's neutrality provisions in the Constitution.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage; was defeated and did not become law.
- Specific constitutional changes intended are not detailed in provided long title; full text needed for exact scope.
Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Ireland agrees to lend money to the International Monetary Fund through a credit arrangement called New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB).
- The Finance Minister guarantees the Central Bank will be reimbursed if the IMF calls on Ireland's pledged funds under NAB.
- Updates two 1957 and 1999 laws to allow Finance Minister payments to IMF trust funds for poverty relief and disaster assistance.
European Arrest Warrant (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Updates Irish law to implement EU rules on European arrest warrants, strengthening procedural rights for accused persons.
- Amends the 2003 European Arrest Warrant Act to align with 2009 EU framework changes on mutual recognition of court decisions.
- Enhances protections for people tried in absentia across EU member states and streamlines surrender procedures between nations.
Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates regulatory authority (AHRRA) requiring licenses for fertility treatments, surrogacy services, and embryo research in Ireland.
- Regulates embryonic stem cell research and gives people born via assisted reproduction rights to access information about their origins.
- Establishes enforcement powers including license suspension, revocation, and financial penalties for non-compliance.
Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Amends Consumer Credit Act 1995 to regulate high-cost credit providers through new licensing requirements and standards.
- Updates rules for who can legally provide high-cost credit and how they must operate to protect borrowers.
- Makes related changes to other laws to align with new high-cost credit provider regulations.
Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Makes Pandemic Special Recognition Payment tax-free and adjusts taxes, stamp duties, and excise duties.
- Supports employers and businesses through amended welfare and VAT rules; refunds stamp duty on cost rental homes.
- Waives excise duty on certain liquor licenses and creates tax treatment for fishing boat license payments under EU scheme.
Institutional Burials Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Government appoints a Director to excavate and recover human remains from institutions' burial grounds, with dignity protocols and identification programs involving relatives.
- Establishes DNA database through Forensic Science Ireland and allows Director to access burial land, with compensation for property interference and remedial works after excavation.
- Amends tax and planning laws; creates Advisory Board; allows future forensic testing regulations; transfers Director's remaining functions to a Minister on office closure.
Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Implements EU directive requiring stronger protections for people reporting breaches of EU law, expanding the 2014 Protected Disclosures Act.
- Creates new Office of Protected Disclosures Commissioner to oversee whistleblower protections and investigate complaints of retaliation.
- Amends Freedom of Information, Ombudsman, and Workplace Relations Acts to strengthen whistleblower safeguards across government and employment.
Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Transfers certain health functions from Health Minister to Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
- Requires Health Minister and Children's Minister to consult and share responsibilities on specified health matters.
- Changes Health Service Executive's corporate governance and accountability rules; amends Disability Act 2005 and Health Act 2007.
Competition (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates non-criminal enforcement system for competition breaches, including independent adjudication officers issuing prohibition notices and imposing financial penalties, structural remedies, and behavioral orders.
- Introduces leniency program for undertakings cooperating on competition violations; increases criminal penalties for competition law breaches; expands CCPC surveillance powers for criminal investigations.
- Amends five Acts (Competition 2002, CCPA 2014, Communications 2002, Consumer Protection 2007, Criminal Justice Surveillance 2009) to implement EU Directive 2019/1 on competition enforcement.
Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates one-off electricity cost emergency benefit payment scheme for domestic households in 2022 due to global energy price spike.
- Gives distribution operators, suppliers, and utilities regulator roles in running scheme; exempt payments from income tax.
- Minister can make regulations to operate scheme; funded from Environment, Climate and Communications budget.
Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates new media regulator (Coimisiún na Meán) replacing Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to oversee TV, radio, and online services.
- Requires online platforms to remove harmful content and comply with EU media rules; regulators can investigate and fine non-compliant providers.
- Funds regulator and European media production through levies on broadcasters and streaming services; supports community radio and journalism.
Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Employers must fairly distribute tips and gratuities to employees and contract workers; cannot use tips to meet minimum wage obligations.
- Employers and certain businesses must inform the public how tips are handled—through notices or other means.
- Amends three Acts (Payment of Wages 1991, Terms of Employment 1994, Workplace Relations 2015) to enforce tip protections and transparency requirements.