Bills
1,078 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020
17 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Establishes Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) as a formal statutory benefit with rates set by regulation, replacing emergency payments under Supplementary Welfare Allowance.
- Credits paid social insurance contributions to employees receiving PUP, Jobseeker payments, or Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme since 13 March 2020 to protect future benefit eligibility.
- Allows some past PUP spending paid as emergency welfare to be charged to the Social Insurance Fund; exempts TWSS participants from employment contributions except 0.5% employer PRSI on top-ups.
Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Bill 2020
17 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Allows companies to hold general meetings remotely or hybrid during Covid-19 interim period, with electronic voting mechanisms and deferred annual general meetings until 31 December 2020.
- Increases statutory demand threshold for company winding-up from €10,000/€20,000 to €50,000 during interim period; extends examiner reporting deadline by additional 50 days in exceptional circumstances.
- Permits company documents sealed separately (seal, director signature, secretary signature on different documents) to count as one executed document during interim period.
Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020
17 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Extends notice periods for rent arrears evictions to 90 days during emergency period (10 Jan 2021), requiring landlords to give tenants 28 days to pay arrears after written notice to tenant and Residential Tenancies Board.
- Freezes residential rent increases during emergency period; tenants experiencing Covid-19 job loss or receiving pandemic payments can declare eligibility for enhanced protections by notifying Residential Tenancies Board.
- Requires landlords to send eviction notices for unpaid rent simultaneously to tenant and Residential Tenancies Board; Board must offer tenants Money Advice and Budgeting Service assistance when notified of arrears.
Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020
17 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Allows courts to hold civil proceedings remotely using electronic means; permits judges to conduct hearings outside their district; unlawful recording of proceedings is an offence.
- Makes business records presumed admissible as evidence in civil proceedings if compiled in ordinary business course; requires 21-day notice to parties before trial.
- Enables temporary coroners or deputy coroners to be assigned during pandemics/mass fatalities; allows assignments up to six months, renewable, to clear inquiries backlog.
Financial Provisions (Covid-19) (No. 2) Bill 2020
17 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Extends Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme eligibility to workers returning from maternity, adoptive, paternity, parental, health and safety, parents or illness benefits, and apprentices; increases maximum subsidy from 70% to 85% for those earning €586 or less weekly.
- Introduces Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme replacing TWSS, providing flat-rate subsidies to qualifying employers whose turnover or customer orders fell to 70% or less of July-December 2019 levels.
- Creates debt warehousing for businesses unable to pay PAYE, VAT and employment contribution debts due to Covid-19; zero interest for initial restricted period plus twelve months, then 3% annually until end-2022, with enforcement suspended if business complies.
Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020
11 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Enables Ireland to participate in SURE (EU temporary unemployment support scheme) and enter into guarantee of up to €483.4 million, with payments from Central Fund and repayments returned to Exchequer.
- Allows Ireland to join EIB Pan-European Guarantee Fund with contribution capped at €167.5 million based on Irish EIB shareholding; amendments require Dáil approval.
- Amends Strategic Banking Corporation Act 2014 to clarify insurance regulations don't apply to SBCI guarantees; enables enforcement of Council of Europe arbitral awards in Irish courts.
National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020
30 Jul 2020 Enacted
- Redirects petroleum product levy funds to new Climate Action Fund for climate and renewable energy projects, after NORA's operating expenses are covered.
- Fixes petroleum levy at €0.02 per litre and biofuel levy at €0.001 per litre by law; removes Minister's power to adjust rates by regulation.
- Designates NORA and Irish Water as bodies eligible for central treasury services from National Treasury Management Agency, replacing commercial bank arrangements.
Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2020
29 Jul 2020 Enacted
- Creates COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme allowing Minister to guarantee up to €2 billion in credit, with Minister's liability capped at €1.6 billion.
- Extends eligible enterprises to include small mid-caps and primary producers under the new COVID-19 scheme, separate from existing scheme.
- Sets scheme to operate until 31 December 2020 (extendable to 31 December 2021 by ministerial order) with guarantees lasting maximum 6 years.
Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2020
14 Jul 2020 Enacted
- Increases maximum grant the Minister can give to Microfinance Ireland from €35m to €105m to support business lending during Covid-19.
- Allows Microfinance Ireland to borrow from sources other than Social Finance Foundation and lend those borrowed funds to microenterprises.
- Raises maximum cumulative contribution limit under European Investment Fund Agreement from €75m to €500m for two Ministers to access additional funding.
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
- Establishes National Housing Co-operative to purchase distressed mortgages from lenders, allowing homeowners to transition from mortgage to 'rent and mortgage' arrangements.
- Finances €5 billion acquisition through 20-year secured property bonds backed by European Investment Fund guarantee; purchase price neutral to selling lenders.
- Provides homeowners with options including extended mortgages, interest-only payments, rent supplements, or local authority management to prevent repossession and homelessness.
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
- Expands Seanad voting to include Irish passport holders abroad, Northern Ireland residents, and graduates; creates five vocational constituencies plus one higher education constituency.
- Establishes a statutory Seanad Electoral Commission to organise elections and manage voter registers; replaces university-specific voting with broader higher education graduate voting.
- Replaces by-election system with substitute candidate lists; introduces electronic ballot printing and QR codes; comes into effect after election of 25th Seanad (around 2020).
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
- Grants residence permits to people whose asylum, subsidiary protection, or leave-to-remain applications remain undecided after four years, valid for minimum three years and renewable.
- Grants residence permits to people with unexecuted deportation orders issued over one year ago with no reasonable prospect of enforcement within six months.
- Residence permit holders gain rights to work, travel, education, medical care, social welfare, and property ownership; Minister can revoke permits for serious crime, public order, or security reasons.
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
- Removes loophole that excluded casual workers from zero-hours protections under the 1997 Organisation of Working Time Act, extending pay entitlements to those initially engaged casually.
- Allows employees working 6+ months with regular patterns to request written contracts reflecting actual hours worked, with employers able to refuse only for seasonal/emergency reasons.
- Creates enforcement mechanism through Workplace Relations Commission adjudication officers with power to order compliance and compensation up to 104 weeks' remuneration for breaches.
Health (Amendment) (Professional Home Care) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Colm Burke
- Amends Health Act 2007 to create regulatory framework for professional home care providers; designates them as regulated centres subject to HIQA standards.
- Requires needs assessments, written care plans, complaints procedures, abuse protections, and medication logs for all home care recipients.
- Establishes Social Services Inspectorate registry of professional home carers; extends Minister's regulation-making power to professional home care undertakings.
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.