Bills
322 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Housing (Homeless Prevention) Bill 2014
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Maureen O'Sullivan
- Amends Housing Act 1988 section 2 to redefine 'homelessness' to include 'being at risk of becoming homeless', shifting focus toward prevention.
- Amends Housing Act 1988 section 10 to enable local authorities to fund approved bodies delivering housing advice, advocacy, and tenancy support services.
- Removes legislative restrictions preventing cross-sectoral cooperation between local authorities, agencies, and frontline organisations on homelessness prevention.
Health (Amendment) Bill 2014
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Fergus O'Dowd
- Allows HIQA to investigate complaints about care safety and quality at designated centres without needing a formal complaint process.
- Expands HIQA's investigative powers to cover unsolicited communications expressing concerns about services provided by healthcare executives and registered providers.
- Applies to designated centres and their registered providers, affecting oversight of residential care facilities and service quality standards.
Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2015
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Michael McGrath
- Expands the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council's role to analyse political parties' policy proposals for fiscal impact.
- Amends the 2012 Fiscal Responsibility Act to give the Council new powers to assess party economic policies.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; specific scope and implementation details not available from title alone.
Disability (Amendment) Bill 2015
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Mattie McGrath
- Bans misleading language about unborn babies with disabilities, particularly the term 'incompatible with life'.
- Requires government ministers to plan and provide services for people with disabilities within available resources.
- Aims to promote equality for people with disabilities and related matters. (Bill lapsed; not enacted.)
Central Bank (Code of Conduct) Bill 2015
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Michael McGrath
- Prevents courts from ordering repossession of a borrower's main home if their lender hasn't followed the relevant code of practice.
- Applies to cases where lenders violate Central Bank codes governing mortgage lending and borrower protections.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; current status unknown—no information on whether similar provisions became law elsewhere.
Equality in Education Bill 2015
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Jonathan O'Brien
- Repeals religious discrimination exemption in Equal Status Act 2000, ending schools' legal right to prefer admissions based on applicants' religion.
- Requires Minister to issue guidelines within 12 months and mandates faith formation teaching outside school hours; general curriculum must be non-religious.
- Requires school boards to adopt diversity policies within 12 months, developed with parents and children, to ensure non-discriminatory admissions practices.
Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2015
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Mattie McGrath
- Protects certain mortgages from repeals made by the 2009 Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act, ensuring specific statutory rules still apply to them.
- Prevents the 2013 Act from removing homeowners' right to a full court hearing before eviction from their main residence.
- Allows courts to adjourn legal proceedings in certain cases and addresses related procedural matters.
Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) (Amendment) Bill 2016
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Noel Rock
- Requires Central Bank to consult Minister for Finance on draft regulations and wait for written ministerial views and proposed amendments before proceeding.
- Requires Central Bank to consult relevant Oireachtas Joint Committee on draft regulations and wait for written committee views and amendments before proceeding.
- Requires all written communications between Minister, Joint Committee and Central Bank on draft regulations be completed in reasonable timeframe and laid before Oireachtas.
Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2016
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Gerry Adams
- Amends Electoral Acts 1992–2015 to require all polling stations be wheelchair accessible.
- Ensures disabled voters can physically enter and use polling stations without barriers.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage and lapsed without becoming law.
Corporate Manslaughter Bill 2016
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Jonathan O'Brien
- Creates criminal offense of corporate manslaughter where an undertaking causes death by gross negligence in workplace health and safety.
- Creates separate offense of grossly negligent management causing death for high managerial agents; both prosecuted on indictment with fines and potential disqualification.
- Courts may impose remedial orders, community service orders, and adverse publicity orders on convicted undertakings; allows piercing corporate veil if company dissolved to evade liability.
Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) (Amendment) Bill 2016
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Billy Kelleher
- Amends 2013 Act to permit switching between biologic drugs and their biosimilar versions in medical treatment.
- Aims to increase flexibility in prescribing and potentially reduce costs of biologic medicines for patients.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; did not progress to further parliamentary debate or votes.
Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) (Cross Border Crime Agency) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Brendan Smith
- Creates statutory Cross Border Crime Agency with Director General and 8 officers from Irish and Northern Irish security, tax, and environmental authorities.
- Agency investigates organised crime, human trafficking, fuel smuggling, and illicit trade in border region; receives information from both police forces.
- Director General must publish annual reports to Oireachtas and appear before relevant committees; agency reports protected from defamation proceedings.
Trade Union Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Mick Barry
- Removes restrictions on pickets: allows pickets for union aims beyond trade disputes, permits pickets at workplace approaches rather than entrances only, and allows anyone to join pickets without risk of injunction.
- Repeals ballot and notice requirements: eliminates requirement for secret ballots and one-week notice before industrial action, removing legal grounds employers use to obtain injunctions.
- Allows unions to take industrial action for individual worker grievances without exhausting agreed procedures first, enabling swift action in dismissals and victimization cases.
Insurance (Life Assurance and Life Insurance) (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed James Browne
- Amends Insurance Act 2000: prohibits insurers from refusing to pay death benefits when insured person dies by suicide after 12 months from policy start date.
- Applies to life insurance, life assurance, and death benefit policies: prevents insurers from failing or refusing to execute payments in these circumstances.
- Removes insurer discretion to deny claims based solely on suicide as cause of death, provided 12-month period has elapsed since policy commencement.
Organisation of Working Time (Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Mary Lou McDonald
- Creates statutory right to paid domestic violence leave for employees under Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.
- Extends unfair dismissal protections to employees taking domestic violence leave under Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977-2015.
- Defines domestic violence, coercive control, and eligible persons; sets leave entitlements, notification rules, and Workplace Relations Commission dispute resolution.
Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Martin Heydon
- Amends Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012 to give Irish Fiscal Advisory Council power to review opposition parties' pre-Budget policies and proposals.
- Council must report whether opposition parties' approaches support prudent economic and budgetary management.
- Changes section 8(4) of the 2012 Act to enable this new review and reporting function.
Broadcasting (Television Licence Fees Recovery) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Seán Sherlock
- Requires TV service providers (Sky, Virgin, etc.) to share subscription data with the licence fee collector on request to identify unlicensed TV set owners.
- Adds new section 145A to Broadcasting Act 2009 permitting data processing by the issuing agent to assist licence fee recovery and identification functions.
- Aims to reduce evasion rates estimated at 12-14% and potentially increase licence fee revenue by €25-30 million annually through cross-checking subscriber lists.
Public Health (Electronic Cigarettes and Herbal Cigarettes) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Alan Farrell
- Prohibits selling or supplying electronic cigarettes, refill containers, and herbal cigarettes to anyone under 18 years old, creating criminal offences for violations.
- Establishes penalties for breaches and allows authorised officers under tobacco law to enforce these new age restrictions on related products.
- Closes gap in existing tobacco law, which already banned sales to under-18s but did not cover electronic or herbal cigarettes.
Latent Defects Redress Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Dessie Ellis
- Establishes independent Latent Defects Redress Board to provide information, mediation, and adjudication for homeowners affected by building regulation non-compliance, including fire safety and structural defects.
- Board will conduct risk assessments for latent defects and review existing sanctions against developers/builders for breaching building and fire safety standards, making recommendations to Minister.
- Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government appoints establishment day and determines Board's powers.
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.