Bills
1,098 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Organisation of Working Time (Workers Rights and Bogus Self-Employment) (Amendment) Bill 2019
25 Feb 2021 First Stage Withdrawn Maurice Quinlivan
- Makes it an offence for employers to misclassify employees as self-employed when the actual working relationship indicates an employment contract.
- Extends Organisation of Working Time Act protections to Garda members, Defence Forces personnel, sea workers, and trainee doctors.
- Grants self-employed workers rights to daily rest, weekly rest, maximum working hours, annual leave, and public holiday pay to reduce bogus self-employment incentives.
Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017
22 Jan 2021 Enacted Brendan Howlin
- Creates offences for distributing intimate images without consent; maximum 7 years imprisonment for intentional harm, 12 months for strict liability recording.
- Establishes offence of sending threatening or grossly offensive communications with intent to harm (2 years maximum); applies online and offline without requiring persistence.
- Increases harassment penalties from 7 to 10 years imprisonment; extends to persistent communication about a person; protects victim anonymity in intimate image cases.
Appropriation Bill 2020
22 Jan 2021 Enacted
- Authorizes 2020 government spending voted by Dáil through original, revised, and supplementary estimates, including capital carryover to 2021.
- Allows repayable advances from Central Fund to Paymaster General's account for electronic payments due 1-4 January 2021 and An Post social welfare payments.
- Sets statutory authority for voted amounts by department, with funds advanced to be repaid to Central Fund in January 2021.
Central Mental Hospital (Relocation) Bill 2020
21 Jan 2021 Enacted
- Minister sets relocation day moving Central Mental Hospital from Dundrum to Portrane; all legal references to Dundrum facility automatically redirect to Portrane location.
- Persons lawfully detained under specified mental health and criminal law provisions continue detained during transition; transferred to Portrane while maintaining legal detention status.
- Dundrum facility closes within three months of relocation; section 39 of Mental Treatment Act 1961 repealed to remove statutory link to old location.
Investment Limited Partnerships (Amendment) Bill 2020
21 Jan 2021 Enacted
- Modernises Investment Limited Partnership Act 1994 to align with EU funds legislation and anti-money laundering rules; replaces 'custodian' with 'depositary' and updates valuation language.
- Introduces beneficial ownership register requirements for ILPs; general partners must maintain, update and deliver registers to Central Bank; establishes central register and access conditions.
- Permits limited partners to sit on boards/committees without losing liability protection; allows umbrella ILPs; enables asset transfers when general partners change; allows ILPs to migrate in/out of Ireland.
Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020
12 Jan 2021 Enacted
- Allows credit unions to hold meetings wholly or partly by remote electronic means during interim period (to 30 April 2021, extendable by Government order) and permanently thereafter, with electronic voting mechanisms.
- Enables credit union members to vote by proxy at general meetings, with proxy deposits allowed electronically up to 48 hours before meeting, subject to credit union rules.
- Extends Fiscal Council member term limit from two to three consecutive terms; adds EU as facility lender under Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Act 2010 for State loan compliance.
Prohibition of Sulky-Racing Bill 2018
17 Dec 2020 First Stage Defeated Mattie McGrath
- Proposes to ban sulky racing (horse-drawn cart racing) unless the organizer obtains legal permission beforehand.
- Aimed at stopping unauthorized sulky racing events on public roads or private land without proper licensing.
- Bill was defeated at First Stage in 2018; did not proceed to further debate or enactment.
Credit Union Restructuring Board (Dissolution) Bill 2019
16 Dec 2020 Enacted
- Dissolves the Credit Union Restructuring Board and transfers its assets, liabilities, and functions to the Minister for Finance effective on a dissolution day appointed by order.
- Amends the Credit Union and Co-operation with Overseas Regulators Act 2012 to remove ReBo approval requirements for stabilisation support and transfer ReBo Levy collection powers to the Minister.
- Updates the Central Bank Act 1942 and Freedom of Information Act 2014 to replace references to ReBo with the Minister for Finance for confidential information sharing and levy collection purposes.
Deportation Moratorium (Covid-19) Bill 2020
10 Dec 2020 First Stage Defeated Frances Black
- Proposed to ban deportations from Ireland during the Covid-19 public health emergency.
- Would have prevented removal of persons from the State while Covid-19 restrictions were in place.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage and was defeated in the Oireachtas.
Residential Tenancies Bill 2020
9 Nov 2020 Enacted
- Temporarily prohibits landlords from ending tenancies in areas under Covid-19 travel restrictions (5km limit), except for anti-social behaviour or unauthorised non-residential use.
- Suspends notice periods during emergency period; time spent under restrictions does not count toward tenancy termination notice deadlines.
- Protects tenants already served notice pre-emergency by allowing them to remain until restrictions end, subject to existing tenancy terms.
Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020
6 Nov 2020 Enacted
- Transfers Mother and Baby Homes Commission records and databases to the Child and Family Agency without redaction upon the Commission's dissolution on 28 February 2021.
- Restricts the Agency's processing of non-Agency records to purposes authorised by data protection laws or other legislation, while permitting processing of information originating from Agency-provided records.
- Requires the Commission to submit its final report by 30 October 2020 and amends the Judicial Council Act 2019 to extend personal injuries guidelines deadlines.
Railway Safety (Reporting And Investigation Of Serious Accidents, Accidents And Incidents Involving Certain Railways) Bill 2020
6 Nov 2020 Enacted
- RAIU gains statutory power to investigate accidents on railways excluded from EU rules, including Luas light rail and heritage railways, from 31 October 2020.
- Regulations of 2020 apply to metro, tram, light rail, private freight networks with public interfaces, and heritage/museum/tourist railways listed in the Act.
- Ongoing investigations and prior safety recommendations continue under new Regulations; no additional State funding required.
Forestry (Planning Permission) (Amendment) Bill 2018
6 Nov 2020 Second Stage Defeated Martin Kenny
- Requires planning permission for all forestry projects over 5 hectares, changing previous exemptions under the Forestry Act 2014.
- Amends the Planning and Development Act 2000 to include new forestry permission requirements in planning law.
- Bill was defeated at Second Stage; did not proceed to further legislative consideration.
Ban on Rent Increases Bill 2020
4 Nov 2020 First Stage Defeated Eoin Ó Broin
- Freezes rents for existing tenancies at their rate on the bill's enactment date for three years.
- Sets new tenancy rents using Residential Tenancies Board index for equivalent local properties, not market rates.
- Subjects the three-year rent freeze to annual review to assess whether to continue or modify.
Ministers and Ministers of State (Successors) Bill 2020
4 Nov 2020 First Stage Defeated Peadar Tóibín
- Requires Taoiseach to nominate successors to Ministers and Ministers of State who lose Oireachtas membership after general elections within six weeks.
- Successor Ministers need Dáil approval before appointment; successor Ministers of State appointed by sitting Government, consistent with 1977 Act procedures.
- Amends 1977 Act so Ministers of State appointments end when successor appointed, not just when Taoiseach's successor takes office.
Ministerial Power (Repeal) (Ban Co-Living and Build to Rent) Bill 2020
3 Nov 2020 First Stage Defeated Eoin Ó Broin
- Deletes section 28(1C) from the Planning and Development Act 2000, which allowed ministers to issue planning guidelines to local authorities.
- Repeals the Build to Rent and Shared Accommodation sections of the March 2018 Sustainable Urban Housing apartment design guidelines.
- Removes ministerial power to mandate co-living and build-to-rent housing policies through planning directives to planning authorities.
Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020
5 Oct 2020 Enacted
- Forestry Appeals Committee can now sit in divisions and appoint deputy chairpersons to increase capacity and speed up processing of forestry licensing appeals.
- Minister gains powers to set appeal fees by regulation, establish procedures for oral hearings, and issue policy directives to prioritize certain appeal classes.
- Forestry license application documents must be published on Department website for public access; High Court appeals on points of law are eliminated.
Criminal Justice (Enforcement Powers) (Covid-19) Bill 2020
18 Sep 2020 Enacted
- Gardaí gain powers to enter licensed premises serving alcohol, inspect for Covid-19 regulation breaches, and issue immediate closure orders for non-compliance with directions.
- Superintendent-rank Gardaí can apply to District Court for emergency closures (up to 3 days) or temporary closures (7-30 days) for repeated breaches; licensees can appeal.
- Breaches of Covid-19 regulations become grounds for objecting to pub and club license renewals; non-compliance with closure orders and notices become criminal offences.
Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill 2020
17 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Increases medical card income limits for people aged 70+: €550/week single person, €1,050/week couple.
- Introduces free GP services for children under 13, rolled out incrementally (starting at under-8s).
- Updates HSE governance references from 'Director General' to 'chief executive officer' in Health Act 1970.
Ministers and Secretaries and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Bill 2020
17 Aug 2020 Enacted
- Creates new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science as a standalone government department.
- Establishes Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science as head of new department.
- Applies existing Ministers and Secretaries Acts (1924-2017) and Documentary Evidence Act 1925 to new department.
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.