Bills
1,049 bills tracked.
Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020
11 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Allows Ireland to join EU's SURE scheme, providing temporary financial support to protect jobs during emergencies via guaranteed loans.
- Enables Ireland to participate in the European Investment Bank's Pan-European Guarantee Fund to support lending during economic crises.
- Expands the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland's power to issue guarantees and enforces international arbitration awards under Council of Europe agreements.
National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020
30 Jul 2020 Enacted
- Expands National Oil Reserves Agency's role to collect levies on fuel sales and direct proceeds to a new Climate Action Fund for environmental spending.
- Sets fuel and biofuel levy rates and allows the Minister to direct how levy money flows into the Climate Action Fund.
- Enables National Treasury Management Agency to provide financial management services to the National Oil Reserves Agency and Irish Water.
Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2020
29 Jul 2020 Enacted
- Minister can issue credit guarantees for Covid-19 relief loans under a new scheme, with a monetary cap on government liability.
- Expands which business types can access credit guarantees beyond the original 2012 Act scope.
- Amends 2012 and 2016 Credit Guarantee Acts to enable emergency lending support during pandemic economic hardship.
Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2020
14 Jul 2020 Enacted
- Increases the maximum grant the Minister can give to Microfinance Ireland under the 2012 Act to provide more microenterprise loans.
- Raises Microfinance Ireland's borrowing limit under the 2012 Act to expand its lending capacity.
- Increases the maximum liability for government contributions to European Investment Fund agreements involving business and agriculture ministers.
Litter Pollution (Amendment) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Gerry Horkan
- Increases fines for people convicted of littering offences under the 1997 Litter Pollution Act.
- Bill lapsed during Second Stage; did not become law.
- Sponsor: Gerry Horkan. Specific fine amounts not detailed in title provided.
Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Changes Údarás na Gaeltachta governance from appointment to democratic elections for board members.
- Enables citizens in Gaeltacht regions to directly elect representatives to the organisation's decision-making body.
- Bill lapsed during legislative process; status and scope of final provisions unknown.
National Housing Co-operative Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 First Stage Lapsed Victor Boyhan
- Creates National Housing Co-operative Society to help distressed homeowners by acquiring mortgages and converting them to rent-and-mortgage arrangements.
- Gives the society power to manage, rent, or sell mortgages on houses to assist occupants facing mortgage difficulties.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage in 2017; never progressed to debate or voting.
National Minimum Wage (Removal of Sub-minimum Rates of Pay) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to remove lower pay rates for workers aged 16 and over.
- Ends sub-minimum wages for employees in their first two years of employment.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress past Second Stage debate.
Defence (Veterans Lapel Badge) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Victor Boyhan
- Creates a lapel badge to honor former members of Irish Army, Air Corps, Naval Service, and Reserve Defence Forces.
- Badge recognizes service but bill lapsed in 2017—not enacted into law.
- Sponsor Victor Boyhan proposed this; practical details on eligibility and design not specified in long title.
Industrial Relations (Collective Action) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 First Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends the 1990 Industrial Relations Act to allow collective action without exhausting all agreed dispute procedures first.
- Removes the legal requirement that workers must complete every step in company procedures before striking or taking industrial action.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; no record of passage into law. Practical effect unclear as not enacted.
Seanad Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Alice-Mary Higgins
- Creates a Seanad Electoral Commission to oversee Senate elections and reform implementation.
- Enacts reforms recommended by the Working Group on Seanad Reform to change how the Senate operates.
- Bill lapsed before completion; specific reforms not identified in available legislative text.
Free Education (Prohibition of Fees and Charges) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 Committee Stage Lapsed Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
- Bans recognised schools from charging admission, enrolment fees, or requesting parent contributions for education costs, with limited exceptions.
- Applies to publicly funded schools; allows certain charges for optional activities or services outside core education.
- Bill lapsed at Committee Stage in 2018; did not become law. Specific exceptions and implementation details not finalised.
Immigration (Reform) (Regularisation of Residency Status) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Victor Boyhan
- Allows people waiting 4+ years for refugee or subsidiary protection decisions to regularise their residency status.
- Applies to applicants whose cases remain undetermined after four years from submission date.
- Bill lapsed; never became law. Would have provided legal residency pathway for long-delayed asylum applicants.
National Anthem (Protection of Copyright and Related Rights) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 First Stage Lapsed Diarmuid Wilson
- Restores copyright protection for Ireland's national anthem under the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000.
- Amends copyright law to give the State control over how the anthem is used and reproduced.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage in 2016; no further legislative action taken.
Corporate Manslaughter (No. 2) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Mark Daly
- Creates new crime: corporate manslaughter when an undertaking's management causes death through gross negligence.
- Makes high-level managers personally liable for deaths caused by their grossly negligent management decisions.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress past Second Stage parliamentary debate.
Protection of Employment (Uncertain Hours) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
- Regulates zero-hours contracts and similar uncertain employment practices to increase worker protections.
- Aims to provide employees with greater job security and predictability regarding working hours.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; specific provisions and enforcement mechanisms not detailed in available title.
Health (Amendment) (Professional Home Care) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Colm Burke
- Creates regulation framework for professional home care services in Ireland under amended Health Act 2007.
- Establishes standards and oversight for home care providers to ensure quality and safety of care delivery.
- Bill lapsed and did not progress beyond Second Stage debate in the Oireachtas.
Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 First Stage Lapsed Fintan Warfield
- Requires radio stations to broadcast a minimum percentage of Irish language music, amending the 2009 Broadcasting Act.
- Sets a quota for Irish-language works in music programming; specific percentage not detailed in long title.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; did not progress to become law.
Mental Health (Capacity To Consent To Treatment) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Máire Devine
- Amends Mental Health Act 2001 to allow people aged 16+ to consent to mental health treatment without parental permission.
- Enables minors over 16 to make their own decisions about mental health care, changing current consent requirements.
- Bill lapsed; did not become law. Status and practical effect unknown as it did not complete the legislative process.
Education (Digital Devices in Schools) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Gerard P. Craughwell
- Schools can ban student use of digital devices during school hours to protect academic performance and student wellbeing.
- School boards and teachers create behaviour codes setting rules for device possession, with exceptions for approved educational purposes.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; its provisions were never enacted into Irish legislation.
Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed
- Adoption Authority collects and maintains adoption records, including cases of incorrect registration or informal care placements.
- Creates Register of Adoption Contact Enquiries; Child and Family Agency provides tracing and contact facilitation services.
- Amends Adoption Act 2010 and Child and Family Agency Act 2013 to support information access and reunion services.
Charities (Human Rights) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 First Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Adds 'advancement of human rights' as a recognised charitable purpose under the Charities Act 2009.
- Removes 'advancement of religion' from the list of recognised charitable purposes for charity registration.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; did not progress to legislative debate or enactment.
Pensions (Equal Pension Treatment in Occupational Benefit Scheme) (Amendment) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Kevin Humphreys
- Amends Pensions Act 1990 to ensure equal pension benefits for same-sex couples in workplace schemes.
- Addresses cases where employees couldn't marry same-sex partners previously, affecting pension entitlements retroactively.
- Bill lapsed at Second Stage; no record of enactment into law.
Critical Health Professionals Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Mark Daly
- Allows critical health professionals in HSE-funded organisations to postpone mandatory retirement age if both employee and employer agree.
- Applies to staff in organisations funded by Department of Health, HSE, section 38 providers, and other health service providers.
- Removes forced retirement at contractual age for eligible health workers, subject to mutual consent between parties.