Bills
322 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Gender Recognition (Amendment) (Prisons) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Danny Healy-Rae
- Amends the 2015 Gender Recognition Act to address single-sex prison accommodation rules.
- Aims to clarify how prison housing is arranged for people with gender recognition certificates.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage introduction; it lapsed without further debate or votes.
Children (Amendment) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Patrick Costello
- Amends Children Act 2001 to extend privacy protections to all entitled to them, closing gaps where protections applied retroactively to some but not others.
- Ensures minors who committed offences receive consistent privacy safeguards across all relevant provisions of the Children Act 2001.
- Addresses inconsistency in application of protections by extending safeguards to those previously excluded due to retroactive provision implementation.
Anaerobic Digestion (National Strategy) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Christopher O'Sullivan
- Minister creates national anaerobic digestion strategy covering agricultural, industrial, hospitality and domestic uses to increase renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Strategy enables waste organic matter conversion to biogas and fertiliser through sealed reactor facilities, with potential farmer co-operative models sharing energy dividends.
- Minister empowered to make regulations supporting strategy implementation; Ireland currently has 13 digesters versus Germany's 10,000.
Planning and Development (Climate Emergency Measures) (Amendment) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Bríd Smith
- Restricts planning authorities from approving new fossil fuel infrastructure and high-energy data centres during the climate emergency period, as declared by Dáil Éireann.
- Removes LNG terminals and other fossil fuel projects from the seventh schedule, preventing them from being classified as strategic infrastructure and bypassing An Bord Pleanála direct applications.
- Requires An Bord Pleanála to assess planning applications against State climate targets, national climate objective, and atmospheric CO2 levels; may consult EPA on consistency.
Planning and Development (Provision of Public Housing) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Chris Andrews
- Repeals section 97(3)(b) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, removing a specific planning provision.
- Amends section 97 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as previously modified in 2002.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; no amendments to planning rules for public housing provision were enacted.
Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Barry Cowen
- Gives An Bord Pleanála power to determine applications and appeals pending 12+ months within 18 weeks.
- Prohibits An Bord Pleanála refusing permission solely because relevant considerations changed since application was made, unless applicant given chance to respond.
- Clarifies Board's power to request information and invite submissions from parties and public on pending strategic housing, infrastructure and direct applications.
Education (Inclusion of Persons) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Chris Andrews
- Schools must publish inclusion policies with objectives for special needs classes; must consider special educational needs organiser recommendations in admissions and school plans; must explain publicly if they reject recommendations.
- Government must publish data on spending for transporting special needs students outside their planning areas and numbers without school places; NCSE must report annually on planning transparency.
- Disabled persons organisations gain role in agreeing school board composition; special educational needs organisers gain function to recommend accommodation actions to school boards.
Criminal Justice (Search Warrant Oversight) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Patrick Costello
- Removes Garda superintendent and above authority to issue search warrants without court involvement across four major criminal justice acts (1939, 1925, 1963, 1977).
- Requires all search warrants to obtain independent court approval instead of Garda self-authorization, adding judicial oversight to warrant decisions.
- Aims to strengthen citizen protections by ensuring impartial judicial review balances law enforcement needs against individual privacy rights in search warrant cases.
European Convention on Human Rights (Challenge to British Government Amnesty) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Requires Irish Government to apply to European Court of Human Rights if British Parliament enacts amnesty legislation for crimes in/relating to Northern Ireland.
- Application triggered automatically under Article 33 of European Convention on Human Rights as soon as reasonably practicable after British amnesty legislation is enacted.
- Enables European Court to rule whether British amnesty legislation breaches the European Convention on Human Rights.
Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Standing Charges) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Darren O'Rourke
- Amends Electricity Regulation Act 1999 to give CRU legal power to monitor and regulate standing charges on electricity and gas bills, which are currently unregulated.
- Requires utility companies to obtain CRU approval before increasing standing charges and limits charges to cover fixed connection and maintenance costs only.
- Empowers CRU to investigate suppliers using standing charges to boost profits and order excessive charges be reduced to cost-recovery levels.
Commission of Investigation (Collusion of British State Forces) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Establishes a public inquiry (Commission of Investigation) into collusion between British State forces and others to commit or obstruct prosecution of serious offences across the island of Ireland, 1968–1998.
- Government must create the Commission within three months of the Bill passing, with at least three members and defined terms of reference covering specified issues in the Schedule.
- Commission may request documents and evidence from inside or outside the State, consult previous inquiries, and prepare reports—but reports cannot prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings elsewhere.
Criminal Justice (Public Order) (Amendment) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Amends Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 to require minimum prison sentences for assaults on doctors, gardaí, firefighters, ambulance staff and peace officers.
- Sets minimum sentences: six months for summary conviction, two years for indictment conviction; sentences cannot be suspended in whole or part.
- Applies only to adults causing harm through assault; sentencing court has no discretion to reduce or suspend the minimum term.
Public Art Mural (Exempted Development) Bill 2023
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Amends Planning and Development Regulations 2001 to exempt certain public art murals from needing planning permission if they have artistic or cultural merit and owner consent.
- Exemption applies only to murals on private property that are not commercial ads and comply with Equal Status Acts; excludes listed structures and conservation areas.
- Defines key terms: 'artistic or cultural merit', 'commercial advertisement', and 'public art mural' to establish eligibility criteria for the exemption.
Cost of Renewables Taskforce Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Darren O'Rourke
- Requires Minister to establish cross-departmental taskforce to examine factors driving high renewable energy production costs in Ireland compared to Europe.
- Taskforce must consult stakeholders and deliver policy recommendations within six months on reducing renewable energy cost per megawatt-hour.
- Aims to lower electricity prices for consumers and make Irish renewable energy competitive for export markets.
Education (Affordable School Uniforms) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
- Minister must make regulations requiring schools to develop affordable uniform policies in consultation with parents and students, with clear public disclosure of optional versus required items.
- Schools must source uniforms from multiple retailers, minimize branded items, limit crests to iron-on/sew-on only, and facilitate second-hand uniform access and sibling hand-downs.
- Schools must comply within one year; Ombudsman for Children's Office reports on compliance and cost reduction 18 months after regulations published, then annually.
Planning and Development Regulations (Amendment) (Solar Energy for Schools and Community Buildings) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
- Amends Planning and Development Regulations 2001 to exempt solar panel installation on schools and community buildings from requiring planning permission.
- Defines 'school' and 'community building' in the regulations to determine which structures qualify for the solar panel exemption.
- Removes administrative barrier to renewable energy adoption by eliminating planning permission requirement for solar installations on specified public buildings.
Planning and Development (Ministerial Guidelines) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Róisín Shortall
- Removes obligation for planning authorities, regional assemblies, and An Bord Pleanála to comply with Minister's section 28 planning guidelines.
- Deletes provision allowing guidelines to contain Specific Planning Policy Requirements that bodies must follow in performing functions.
- Restores local authority power to draft development plans reflecting their own council areas' needs independent of mandatory ministerial guidelines.
Commission of Investigation (Nursing Homes) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Catherine Connolly
- Requires Government to establish a Commission of Investigation within two months to conduct public inquiry into how nursing homes managed Covid-19 risks during specified period.
- Commission must investigate and report on management of Covid-19 risks in nursing homes, including staffing, infection control, testing, and factors listed in the Schedule.
- Terms of reference must be set within two months; Schedule lists non-exhaustive factors for investigation, allowing Commission to examine additional relevant matters.
Personal Protective Equipment (Covid-19) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Paul Murphy
- Amends Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 to require employers provide FFP2-grade masks or higher to employees where Covid-19 risks cannot be controlled by other means.
- Explicitly applies requirement to education, childcare, and healthcare workers in schools, colleges, hospitals, primary care centres, and nursing homes.
- Requires Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to review the provision within 3 months of the bill coming into force.
Employment Equality (Abolition of Mandatory Retirement Age) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Louise O'Reilly
- Removes employers' legal right to force workers into retirement based on mandatory retirement age clauses in contracts.
- Excepts security-related employment roles that have special statutory retirement ages already established.
- Allows workers to continue employment beyond age 65 for financial reasons or personal choice, rather than mandatory exit.
Responsibility of Social Media Platforms (Defamation Amendment) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Martin Kenny
- Amends Defamation Act 2009 to make social media platforms liable for defamation when they cannot or will not identify the person who posted the defamatory content.
- Shifts burden of proof: plaintiffs need not prove the original poster knew the statement was false or provided false contact details to the platform.
- Plaintiffs no longer required to prove what verification processes, if any, the social media platform used to identify users.
Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Mattie McGrath
- Requires Minister for Housing to produce and submit annual reports to parliament on Project Ireland 2040 implementation progress.
- Amends Planning and Development Act 2000 to place Project Ireland 2040, National Planning Framework, and National Development Plan on statutory footing.
- Enables annual parliamentary debate allowing TDs to scrutinise Project Ireland 2040 delivery and funding allocations for democratic accountability.
Planning and Development (Amendment) (Breach of Building Regulations) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Amends section 35 of Planning and Development Act 2000 to require planning authorities to consider past building regulation breaches when deciding planning applications.
- Makes a property owner's history of non-compliance with building regulations relevant to future planning permission decisions.
- Creates a mechanism linking building regulation enforcement to the planning permission process for the first time.
Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Mairéad Farrell
- Expands who counts as a 'penalised' worker and protected 'employee' to include unpaid workers, associated persons, and journalists; protects anonymous disclosures.
- Shifts burden of proof to employers to disprove penalisation claims; makes hindering disclosures an offence; removes caps on fair and equitable compensation.
- Adds optional free legal aid and psychological services for whistleblowers; requires annual statistical reports to Oireachtas; allows interim relief applications in Circuit Court.