Bills
367 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
National Minimum Wage (Payment of Interns) Bill 2022
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Marie Sherlock
- Requires employers to pay the national minimum wage to interns and work-experience participants, amending the 2000 National Minimum Wage Act.
- Closes a gap where interns could previously work without minimum wage protection; extends wage rights to this group.
- Bill did not progress past Second Stage debate and lapsed without becoming law.
Planning and Development (Built Heritage Protection) Bill 2022
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Victor Boyhan
- Requires planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála to employ Architectural Conservation Officers with building conservation qualifications to advise on heritage protection decisions.
- Removes planning authority discretion to permit demolition of protected structures; demolition requires first removing the building from the Record of Protected Structures via statutory process.
- Increases penalties for damage to heritage properties, removes defences for reckless damage, and mandates enforcement action within 3 working days when original fabric is at risk.
Coroners (Provision for Jury Selection) (Amendment) Bill 2022
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Lynn Boylan
- Amends the Coroners Act 1962 to allow coroners to select juries using procedures from the Juries Act 1976.
- Specifically enables jury selection for the Stardust Inquest using standard jury selection rules.
- Bill lapsed during Second Stage; did not progress to become law.
Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Bill 2022
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Rónán Mullen
- Creates three new offences for knowingly providing false or misleading information to PIAB during claims applications or assessments.
- Applies existing penalties: up to €3,000 fine and/or six months imprisonment for each new offence under the 2003 Act.
- Strengthens PIAB process integrity by deterring false claims and false information in defence of genuine claims.
Local Government (Surveillance Powers in Relation to Certain Offences) Bill 2022
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Malcolm Byrne
- Local authorities can authorise installation and operation of surveillance devices to deter, prevent, detect, and prosecute certain offences.
- Third parties must share relevant data with local authorities to help them perform functions related to these offences.
- The Bill sets out rules for how local authorities regulate and perform these surveillance and data-sharing functions.
Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Eugene Murphy
- Removes restrictions on the Electricity Supply Board's ability to manage water levels on three Shannon lakes: Lough Derg, Lough Ree, and Lough Allen.
- Amends the 1934 Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Act to give ESB greater operational flexibility for these water management works.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress beyond Second Stage debate in Dáil.
Registration of Wills Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Victor Boyhan
- Establishes a national register of wills kept by General Register Office, allowing testators or solicitors to register the name and address of will custodians to reduce lost or delayed discovery of wills.
- Restricts public access to registered will information until testator's death; only General Register Office staff can search and provide certified copies to testator or after death registration.
- Amends Civil Registration Act 2004 to extend registrar roles to include will registration, establishes penalties of up to €2,000 fine or six months imprisonment for registrars refusing registration without cause.
Civil Legal Aid (Exclusion of Value of Free or Partly Free Board) (Amendment) Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Lynn Boylan
- Amends Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 to exclude free or partly free board from income assessment when determining eligibility for civil legal aid.
- Addresses situation where Housing Assistance Payment, paid directly to landlords by local authorities, is currently counted as applicant income and prevents aid access.
- Removes barrier that denies low-income applicants civil legal aid based on housing assistance they receive.
Gambling (Prohibition of Advertising) Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Mark Wall
- Prohibits advertising of gambling (betting, gaming) across all media, with exceptions for charity events and horse/dog racecourse printed matter.
- Bans broadcast advertising and sponsorship of broadcast programmes for gambling; applies to Irish and foreign broadcasters targeting Irish audiences.
- Creates offences with penalties up to €250,000 fine or 3 years imprisonment on indictment; €5,000 or 6 months in District Court.
Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Rebecca Moynihan
- Blocks planning applications to change student accommodation use to permanent residential housing or tourist accommodation for 15 years after development completion.
- Applies to all student accommodation, whether purpose-built or converted, excluding permanent homes and hotel-like facilities during academic terms.
- Prevents planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála from granting such change-of-use applications during the 15-year restriction period.
Local Government (Use of CCTV in Prosecution of Offences) Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Mark Wall
- Grants local authorities statutory power to install, operate and use CCTV in public places to prevent, investigate, detect and prosecute offences they are authorised to prosecute.
- Requires Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to issue guidelines on CCTV operation and data processing; local authorities must comply with these guidelines.
- Establishes legal basis for local authorities' processing of personal data (including images of identifiable individuals) captured by CCTV, as required by EU Law Enforcement Directive.
Student Nurses (Pay) Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Annie Hoey
- Deems student nurse work during training as 'working time' under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, entitling them to paid wages.
- Training providers must pay student nurses at least the rate paid to Health Service Executive health care assistants, unless more favourable terms apply.
- Applies to student nurses enrolled in first-time registration courses with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland working for HSE or approved providers.
National Screening Advisory Committee Bill 2020
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Gerard P. Craughwell
- Establishes National Screening Advisory Committee on statutory basis to advise Minister on all screening programmes, replacing previous non-statutory arrangement.
- Requires Committee to report within 6 months on expanding newborn bloodspot screening conditions tested, then annually thereafter with parliamentary disclosure.
- Mandates Minister to publicly explain reasons for rejecting Committee recommendations within one month, implementing Scally Report transparency requirements.
Public Authorities and Utility Undertakings (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2019
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Alice-Mary Higgins
- Implements EU directives on public procurement by setting contract award criteria beyond lowest price, including social considerations and quality.
- Allows public bodies to depart from best price-quality ratio under defined procedures and requires human rights protections for state contractors.
- Mandates government guidelines on social considerations in contracts and annual reporting to parliament on procurement matters.
Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Ged Nash
- Allows minors born in Ireland to apply for Irish citizenship certificates without waiting until age 18.
- Amends naturalisation law to streamline the process for children born on the island of Ireland.
- Bill did not progress beyond Second Stage and is no longer active in the legislature.
Prohibition of Conversion Therapies Bill 2018
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Rose Conway-Walsh
- Bans conversion therapy—practices claiming to change sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
- Treats conversion therapy as deceptive and harmful; establishes legal prohibition on this practice.
- Bill lapsed in parliament; did not become law. Current legal status of conversion therapy in Ireland unclear from this bill alone.
Gender Recognition (Amendment) Bill 2017
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed David P.B. Norris
- Allows people aged 16+ to obtain Gender Recognition Certificates using the same process as adults (18+), removing the requirement for court orders, parental consent, and medical professional intervention for this age group.
- Removes the minimum age requirement for people under 16 to obtain Gender Recognition Certificates through court exemption orders, and removes mandatory medical certification as a condition for court approval.
- Requires courts considering applications from under-16s to prioritise the child's best interests, can override parental consent refusal if it conflicts with the child's welfare, and must consider the child's own views.
Convictions for Certain Sexual Offences (Apology and Exoneration) Bill 2016
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
- Provides formal apology and exoneration to persons convicted under repealed laws criminalising consensual same-sex sexual acts between adults.
- Acknowledges historic prosecutions were improperly discriminatory and violated human dignity, privacy and autonomy; applies to convictions from 1634 to 1993.
- Does not create statutory rights, legal causes of action, or financial liability; excludes cases involving persons under 17 or lacking capacity to consent.
Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Lynn Ruane
- Lowers voting age to 16 for European Parliament and local government elections only.
- Allows 16-year-olds to register as electors for these two election types.
- Bill lapsed during Second Stage; did not become law.
Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2024
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Amends Maternity Protection Act 1994 to allow postponement of maternity leave if mother diagnosed with cancer or serious illness during pregnancy.
- New legal section inserted defining cancer and other serious illness, enabling mothers to defer maternity leave entitlements.
- Bill also permits postponement of additional maternity leave for affected mothers, protecting leave eligibility for later use.
Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (Sex for Rent) Bill 2024
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Makes it a criminal offence for landlords to seek sex from tenants instead of rent or to advertise such arrangements.
- Amends section 19 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to create this new offence.
- Applies to advertisements on social media and other platforms offering or requesting sex in exchange for housing.
Eviction Ban Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Richard Boyd Barrett
- Bans landlords from serving eviction notices during a 12-month emergency period, except for serious property damage, anti-social behaviour, or insurance issues.
- Extends any termination notices already served with end dates during the emergency period until after the emergency period ends.
- Allows government to renew the ban beyond 12 months if the Minister for Housing deems it in public interest due to cost-of-living and housing crises.
Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Steven Matthews
- Expands derelict building definition to include boarded-up, damaged, or disconnected properties; requires online register publication and modern notice methods.
- Establishes 'Town Centre First' fast-track planning and building approval process for converting vacant upper floors and commercial spaces to residential use.
- Creates national Town Centre First Partnership office to guide local authorities on refurbishment of existing buildings with tailored technical guidance on fire safety and access.
Short-term Lettings Enforcement Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Eoin Ó Broin
- Makes it illegal for estate agents and online platforms to advertise short-term lettings in rent pressure zones that don't comply with 2019 planning exemption regulations.
- Empowers Housing Minister to issue spot fines against non-compliant advertisers, agents, and online platforms offering illegal short-term lettings.
- Adds new enforcement offence to Planning and Development Act 2000 targeting properties advertised for short-term rent without proper planning compliance.