Bills
1,078 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Affordable Housing Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Housing authorities can provide affordable dwellings for purchase through direct sale or financial assistance for open market properties, with housing authority retaining equity share in the property.
- Homeowners can redeem the authority's equity through periodic payments (minimum €7,500-€10,000), by selling the property, or the authority can force realisation after 25-30 years or on breach of terms.
- Eligibility requires applicants to be first-time buyers earning below 90% mortgage threshold, living in authority area one year, with priority schemes allocating 70% by need and 30% by local discretion.
Loan Guarantee Schemes Agreements (Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Ministers for Enterprise and Agriculture gain power to enter loan guarantee agreements with SBCI, funded up to €50 million total, to help eligible businesses access finance.
- Enables the Brexit Impact Loan Scheme for SMEs and agricultural enterprises to address liquidity issues and support post-Brexit investment.
- Act subject to review after four years; administration costs covered by Oireachtas appropriation; maximum Exchequer cost of €29 million for the scheme.
Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Consolidates Ireland's maritime jurisdiction laws into one act, implementing UN Convention on Law of the Sea provisions on territorial seas, exclusive economic zones, and continental shelf rights.
- Repeals sections 2-3 of Continental Shelf Act 1968 and Part 3 of Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006; extends criminal jurisdiction to Irish ships operating outside territorial waters.
- Allows Government to set baselines, straight baselines, bay closing lines, and continental shelf designations by order; clarifies State ownership of seabed resources in maritime zones.
Planning and Development (Strategic Housing Developments) (Amendment) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 First Stage Withdrawn Róisín Shortall
- Removes mandatory ministerial planning guidelines requirement; planning authorities must only 'have regard to' guidelines, not comply with them.
- Ends fast-track strategic housing development approvals process; no new applications to planning board allowed after bill passes.
- Increases Strategic Housing Division board members and quorum requirements to support greater public participation in planning decisions.
Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Prohibits secondary ticket sellers from selling or advertising tickets above original sale price for events in designated venues or designated events; makes this an offence.
- Requires primary and secondary ticket sellers to disclose original sale price and seat location information when advertising tickets for designated venues or events.
- Voids contract terms that prevent free transfer or resale of tickets at or below original price; exempts UEFA EURO 2020 tickets unless seller has UEFA authorisation.
Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates optional accredited grades system for 2021 Leaving Certificate alongside written exams; students choose exams, accredited grades, or both.
- Prohibits students/parents contacting teachers about estimated marks; SEC can withhold grades if prohibited communication occurs or false information provided.
- Gives SEC power to standardise estimated marks into accredited grades, award better result if student sits both processes, and hear appeals.
Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Replaces 1941-1945 Garda compensation system with streamlined process: Garda Commissioner now conducts initial injury assessment instead of Minister for Justice, with clear time limits at each stage.
- Introduces independent review of refusals: If Commissioner denies claim, claimant can request independent review officer (barrister/solicitor with 5+ years experience) to reconsider eligibility and injury determination.
- Routes approved claims to Personal Injuries Assessment Board: Once injury confirmed as malicious incident, Board assesses compensation amount under 2003 Act; only rejected assessments proceed to court.
Private Security Services (Amendment) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Adds 'enforcement guard' as a regulated security service requiring licensing; covers debt collection, property repossession, and access control performed for remuneration under legal authority.
- Exempts Sheriffs and County Registrars collecting Revenue debts from licensing; gives Private Security Authority power to refuse, suspend or revoke licenses based on corporate officers' conduct.
- Makes it a criminal offence to impersonate a Private Security Authority inspector (€3,000 fine or 12 months imprisonment); publishes license register online and repeals obsolete statutory provisions.
Planning and Development, Heritage and Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Amends Planning and Development Act 2000 to allow Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to exercise heritage functions including commenting on planning applications and development plans without breaching section 30 prohibition on ministerial control of particular cases.
- Transfers heritage-related powers from Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts to Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage across Wildlife Acts, European site designation regulations, and protected structures provisions to resolve constitutional issues with ministerial function merging.
- Amends Broadcasting Act 2009 to remove references to Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and allow Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to consult appropriate ministers on broadcasting matters.
Employment Permits (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 First Stage Defeated Paul Murphy
- Allows migrant workers without valid permits to access Workplace Relations Commission if they took reasonable steps to obtain one, enabling them to claim compensation for employer breaches.
- Permits migrant workers on general employment permits to change employers within first year if employment risks their health, safety, dignity or wellbeing, without losing work rights.
- Requires employers in meat processing, dairy and horticulture to provide sick pay schemes covering at least 70% of wages for 4 weeks to 6 months before receiving permits.
Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Government must set carbon budgets targeting 51% emissions reduction by 2030 (baseline 2018) and achieve climate neutrality by end-2050, with annual climate action plans and five-yearly long-term strategies.
- Ministers must comply with sectoral emissions ceilings for their sectors and report annually to parliament on progress against climate targets, carbon budgets, and adaptation measures.
- Climate Change Advisory Council expanded to 13 members plus three ex-officio directors, with expertise in climate science, energy, agriculture, transport, and other designated areas; proposes carbon budgets to Minister.
Residential Tenancies Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Extends emergency tenant protections until 12 July 2021: 90-day notice periods for eviction (instead of 28 days) and prohibition on rent increases for affected tenants.
- Amends Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies Act 2020 and Residential Tenancies Act 2020 to align eviction moratorium rules during 5km restrictions with enhanced notice requirements.
- Provides temporary financial protection for tenants in rent arrears due to Covid-19 while preserving landlords' constitutional property rights through procedural safeguards.
Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Adoptive couples can now choose which parent takes adoptive leave; same-sex male couples gain eligibility for the first time.
- Parent's leave extended from 2 to 5 weeks per parent; timeframe to use leave extended from 1 to 2 years.
- Child and Family Agency Board increased from 7 to 9 ordinary members with related quorum adjustments.
Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Removes mandatory fines and imprisonment requirements for repeat offences under 19th-century laws on stolen goods, illegal distilling, and unlicensed premises.
- Repeals mandatory minimum prison sentences (5-10 years) for second or subsequent firearms and drug trafficking offences.
- Makes consequential changes to eliminate references to removed mandatory penalties in parole eligibility and sentencing law.
Health (Amendment) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Mandatory quarantine in government-designated facilities for travelers arriving from high-risk Covid-19 areas or without required test results; Minister designates risk areas.
- Increased penalties for Health Act violations: fines up to €4,000-€5,000 and imprisonment up to 6 months; fixed penalty notices up to €2,000.
- Alternatives to facility quarantine for international protection applicants and unaccompanied children; appeals process for early release on humanitarian grounds.
Principles of Social Welfare Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 First Stage Defeated Seán Sherlock
- Establishes nine social welfare principles (dignity, poverty reduction, public service, evidence-based design) that must guide interpretation and administration of Social Welfare Acts by all decision-makers and courts.
- Requires Minister to create and review a social welfare charter setting expectations for government, administrators, and benefit recipients; Minister must consult Citizens Information Board and affected persons.
- Imposes duty on Minister to promote take-up of eligible benefits; requires regular take-up strategies, cross-benefit eligibility identification, accessible information, and applicant support during interviews.
Land Development Agency Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates Land Development Agency as a public company to acquire and develop public land for housing in towns over 10,000 population; establishes a public register of available land.
- Requires a portion of housing built on public land be made affordable through cost rental, transfer to planning authorities, or affordable housing schemes under existing law.
- Grants Agency power to compulsorily purchase land needed for housing access or infrastructure, after attempting voluntary acquisition; dissolves prior Agency entity and transfers its assets and staff.
Criminal Procedure Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Introduces preliminary trial hearings before jury swearing for serious offences (ten-year maximum sentence or specified by Minister) to resolve case management and admissibility issues pre-trial, minimizing trial interruptions.
- Allows courts to make binding rulings on evidence admissibility, defendant separation, and trial conduct at preliminary hearings; limits publication of hearing content until trial concludes to protect jury.
- Extends jury information rights to all indicted trials (previously theft/fraud only), permits accountant affidavits summarizing transactions, and increases expert witness notice requirement from ten to twenty-eight days.
Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 Referendum Rejected
- Proposed constitutional amendment to add a right to care provision into Ireland's Constitution.
- Failed at referendum stage; voters rejected the proposed constitutional change in 2023.
- Specific details of the care right's scope unavailable from title alone; referendum outcome final.
Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 Referendum Rejected
- Adds text to Article 41.1.1° recognising families may be founded on marriage or other durable relationships, not marriage alone.
- Deletes references to marriage as the sole foundation of family from Article 41.3.1°, replacing with text protecting marriage as an institution.
- Includes coordination provisions for potential interaction with the Fortieth Amendment (Care) Bill if both enacted, with sequencing rules for same-day enactment.
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.
Mortgage Interest Rates Cap Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 First Stage Defeated Richard Boyd Barrett
- Directs Central Bank to order mortgage lenders to cap interest rates on home mortgages at maximum 3 per cent annually.
- Minister for Finance must review how the law works within 2 years of it becoming law.
- Law takes effect within 90 days of presidential approval.
Rent Reduction Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 First Stage Defeated Richard Boyd Barrett
- Amends Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to cap rents at maximum of one-quarter of local or national median monthly household income, whichever is lower, based on household size.
- Establishes National Rent Authority composed of tenant and employee representatives to determine income thresholds, set maximum household sizes, and designate luxury accommodation (capped at 5% of local stock).
- Applies rent limits immediately to new tenancies and to existing tenancies within 12 months of the Act coming into force; excludes luxury accommodation from restrictions.
Electoral Reform (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 First Stage Withdrawn Lynn Ruane
- Amends Electoral Reform Act 2022 to require An Coimisiún Toghcháin to review Seanad electoral system, franchise rules, and voting age requirements.
- Amends Electoral Act 1997 to protect civil society organisations' freedom of association and expression, and provide free public transport on polling day.
- Bill withdrawn at First Stage; specific review timelines, franchise proposals, and transport implementation details not available from long title alone.