Bills
1,078 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Planning and Development (Amendment) (First-Time Buyers) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Darragh O'Brien
- Amends Planning and Development Act 2000 to let local authorities set aside up to 30% of residential zoned land exclusively for first-time home buyers.
- Requires local authorities to separately assess build-to-rent housing needs in their housing strategies, distinct from other residential requirements.
- Allows local authorities to exempt build-to-rent developments from standard requirements if they meet housing strategy rental targets.
Housing (Homeless Housing Assistance Payment) (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Frank O'Rourke
- Amends Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 to require local authorities to start Homeless Housing Assistance Payment support immediately when a tenant receives notice of tenancy termination.
- Enables eligible households to seek accommodation earlier with state support, aiming to prevent homelessness before eviction occurs.
- Creates new statutory obligation on local authorities with no anticipated additional exchequer costs.
Equitable Beef Pricing Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Sets minimum beef prices at or above Teagasc's most recent break-even point; Minister can vary prices by beef class, subject to Oireachtas veto.
- Prohibits businesses from treating cattle over 30 months less favorably than younger cattle in sales to farmers.
- All provisions expire after one year unless both Houses of Oireachtas pass resolutions to extend them.
Noise Pollution (Management and Abatement) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Thomas P. Broughan
- EPA sets Dublin Airport noise abatement objective annually (replacing Fingal County Council), separating objective-setting from enforcement.
- EPA and Fingal County Council must report periodically to EPA on airport noise activities and consultations, with reports submitted to relevant Ministers.
- EPA and Minister for Communications must report on their noise management activities under general environmental noise legislation covering roads, rail, commercial, and construction noise.
Road Traffic (Amendment) (Use of Electric Scooters) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Marc MacSharry
- Removes tax and insurance requirements for electric scooters and e-bikes by redefining mechanically propelled vehicles.
- Permits electric scooters on Irish roads with 25 km/h speed limit, mandatory helmets, and requirement to ride safely considering others.
- Expands Road Safety Authority remit to recommend safe e-scooter practices and empowers Minister for Transport to issue regulations.
Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Kevin O'Keeffe
- Amends Intoxicating Liquor Act 1962 to allow occasional licences for dances to be held in tents, marquees or similar structures, currently prohibited.
- Permits District Court to grant occasional licences for special events in these structures where no permanent liquor licence exists at the venue.
- Removes current restriction preventing dance events from using temporary structures when granted an occasional licence.
Planning and Development (Ministerial Power Repeal) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Deletes section 28(1C) from the Planning and Development Act 2000, removing ministerial power to issue certain planning guidelines.
- Repeals the March 2018 Apartment Design Standards guidelines and December 2018 Building Heights guidelines issued under that power.
- Shifts planning guideline authority away from the Minister to planning authorities themselves.
Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 Committee Stage Lapsed
- Replaces limited section 26 of Child Care Act 1991 with new Part VA establishing a formal guardian ad litem system for children in public law child care proceedings.
- Mandates High Court appoint guardians ad litem in special care proceedings; creates presumption of appointment in District Court proceedings with specified decision criteria.
- Minister establishes Executive Office to provide guardian ad litem service, arrange legal representation, monitor performance; increases Child and Family Agency Board membership by two members.
Valuation (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Anne Rabbitte
- Exempts buildings and land used exclusively by registered early years and school-aged childcare providers from commercial rates.
- Aligns childcare providers with other non-commercial property types like educational and public institutions in the rates system.
- Reduces childcare operating costs to lower fees for families and increase accessibility of childcare services.
Curragh of Kildare (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Fiona O'Loughlin
- Makes it a criminal offence to occupy part of the Curragh continuously for three or more days without a Minister licence.
- Grants the Minister of Defence power to issue licences for continuous occupation of specified Curragh areas for defined periods.
- Allows the Minister to make regulations to implement the Act; no additional exchequer costs anticipated.
Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Anne Rabbitte
- Expands HIQA's powers to enforce national standards in foster care, children's residential centres, detention schools, and Tusla services—currently HIQA can only audit, not enforce.
- Amends Health Act 2007 to include these child-care services in the definition of 'designated centre,' bringing them within HIQA's enforcement remit.
- Gives Minister for Health authority to make regulations to implement enforcement powers, subject to parliamentary approval.
Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Increases maximum prison sentence for illegally carrying knives in public from 5 to 10 years under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990.
- Applies to knives intended to cause injury, incapacitate or intimidate persons, or flick knives carried without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.
- Aims to deter knife carrying following increased seizures and recent stabbings, including fatal incidents involving young people.
Social Housing (Real Social Housing) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Amends Housing Acts 1966-2009 to legally define 'real social housing' as dwellings owned by local authorities or approved housing bodies, distinct from temporary support schemes.
- Defines 'social housing support' as temporary assistance including Housing Assistance Payment, long-term leases, and Rental Accommodation Scheme tenancies for households awaiting permanent housing.
- Grants local authorities powers to purchase, build, lease, convert, or refurbish dwellings and permits mixed-income housing arrangements when providing social housing.
Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Right to Housing) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Thomas P. Broughan
- Proposes constitutional amendment to add right to adequate housing into Article 45 Directive Principles, enforceable through State laws and policies.
- Requires State to prioritize housing resources and give particular regard to children in implementing this right.
- Bill aims to enable referendum allowing Irish electorate to decide whether to insert this housing right into the Constitution.
Health (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Louise O'Reilly
- Amends Health Act 1970 to require Minister for Health conduct reviews of Long Term Illness Scheme effectiveness every three years, starting within 12 months of bill passage.
- Minister must publish review findings and conclusions on Department of Health website and submit to both Houses of Oireachtas within 6 months of each review.
- Aims to update the Long Term Illness Scheme, which provides free medicines to people with specified long-term diseases, to cover conditions not currently included.
Residential Tenancies (Complaints of Anti-Social Behaviour and Neglect of Dwelling Exteriors) (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Darragh O'Brien
- Removes restriction on third-party complaints to RTB: any person can now complain about tenant anti-social behaviour or breaches, not just directly impacted parties.
- Adds new tenant obligation: exteriors of dwelling and curtilage must be kept in reasonable condition, enforced through landlord duty under RTA 2004.
- Expands RTB powers to terminate tenancies based on complaints about breaches of tenant obligations under amended section 15.
Domestic Violence (No-contact order) (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Ruth Coppinger
- Adds no-contact orders to the Domestic Violence Act 2018, prohibiting communication (including electronic) where harassment (conduct causing alarm/distress on 2+ occasions) is found.
- Allows Tusla to apply for no-contact orders on behalf of people; applies same penalties (12 months jail, Class B fine) and Garda arrest powers as existing domestic violence orders.
- Restricts cross-examination of applicants, requires courts to give reasons for decisions, allows variation/renewal of orders, and restricts reporting and court attendance at proceedings.
Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Michael McGrath
- Requires plaintiffs to pay defendant's legal costs when their fraudulent case is dismissed under Section 26, unless court finds this unjust.
- Increases maximum fine District Court can impose for civil liability offences from €3,000 to €5,000 (class A fine).
- Amends Criminal Justice Act 1951 to align maximum fine limits with increased District Court penalties.
Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Amends Domestic Violence Act 2018 to create Domestic Homicide Reviews: formal inquiries into deaths from domestic violence, abuse or neglect when the offender dies before prosecution concludes.
- Minister, Garda Commissioner or High Court can order reviews conducted by independent reviewer; six State bodies (gardaí, Policing Authority, Probation, Tusla, HSE, departments) must cooperate and share information.
- Reviews identify circumstances and lessons learned; reports given to victim's family and published unless inappropriate; reviews cannot assign blame or interfere with ongoing criminal investigations.
Road Traffic (All Terrain Vehicle and Scrambler Motor-cycle) (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed John Lahart
- Allows gardaí to seize ATVs and scramblers without number plates based on suspicion or photographic evidence.
- Increases penalty for supplying these vehicles to minors from €3,000 fine to €5,000 or confiscation, plus possible 6-month imprisonment.
- Creates new offence of dangerous riding of ATVs or scramblers in public places with confiscation as penalty; permits seizure from driveways.
Criminal Justice (Conspiracy to Murder) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Increases maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life imprisonment under Criminal Justice Act 2006.
- Applies to cases where murder was planned but did not occur; prosecuted under section 71 of Criminal Justice Act 2006.
- Allows courts to impose significantly higher sentences than current practice, reflecting severity of organized crime assassination plots.
Pensionable Age Task Force Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed John Brady
- Establishes a Pensionable Age Task Force to research, consult publicly, and recommend the appropriate age for State pension entitlement.
- Task Force must deliver report to Minister within 12 months; Minister then has 12 months to consider and report on recommendations.
- Task Force dissolves 18 months after establishment unless extended by Ministerial regulation; consists of 11 members plus Government-appointed chair, unpaid.
Prohibition of Bogus Self Employment Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Willie O'Dea
- Makes it illegal for employers to deliberately classify employees as self-employed; conviction carries Class A fine or up to 12 months imprisonment or both.
- Workplace Relations Commission can prosecute offences and recover investigation and prosecution costs from convicted persons.
- Establishes 12-month timeframe to bring proceedings; defence available if person exercised due diligence to ensure correct employment status designation.
Parental Bereavement Leave (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Anne Rabbitte
- Amends Parental Leave Acts 1998 and 2006 to create new bereavement leave entitlement for employees whose child dies.
- Employees entitled to minimum 10 working days bereavement leave, taken within 42 days of child's death; applies to children under 18 and stillborn children after 24 weeks.
- Bereavement leave does not affect other employment rights or entitlements; treated as separate leave category.