Bills
34 bills tracked. What do the stages mean?
Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026
22 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Allows Minister to directly approve a strategic gas reserve at Cahiracon, Co. Clare, bypassing standard planning laws and certain environmental regulations.
- An Coimisiún Pleanála must complete environmental and habitat assessments within 18 weeks, with time spent awaiting applicant information not counting toward deadline.
- Minister can direct other authorities to prioritise consents needed for the project; judicial review rights adapted from Planning Act apply to challenge decisions.
Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026
22 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Enables registered pharmacists in retail pharmacies to issue prescriptions for contraceptive drugs, medicines, products and devices, and adds retail pharmacy businesses as scheme providers under the Health Act 1970.
- Allows women eligible for the Free Contraception Scheme to access contraception prescriptions from pharmacies free of charge, and permits private patients aged 17–55 to access the service for a fee.
- Amends the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 and Pharmacy Act 2007 to support clinical protocols, training requirements, and regulatory framework for pharmacists delivering the new contraception prescribing service.
Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026
20 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Creates a public Domestic Violence Judgments Register on the Courts Service website containing court judgments of serious domestic violence convictions, with victim consent required for inclusion.
- Allows convicted persons to apply to court for removal from the Register after three years (or from release date if imprisoned), subject to discretionary judicial review.
- Amends three existing Acts to permit Register publication without breaching existing confidentiality provisions in rape, assault, and harassment legislation.
Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Prohibits importing goods originating from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory; violations become offences under Customs Act 2015 with search, seizure and forfeiture powers.
- Minister for Foreign Affairs designates prohibited postal codes (updated periodically) via order, with exemptions for non-commercial personal luggage and mixed-origin postal codes subject to Revenue Commissioners verification.
- Amends Customs Act 2015 section 45 to allow importers notification of Revenue decisions and appeal rights; enables data sharing between government departments for enforcement.
Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Establishes Oifig IS na hÉireann (AI Office of Ireland) as independent statutory body to coordinate AI regulation, maintain national AI register, and advise the Minister on artificial intelligence governance.
- Implements EU AI Regulation 2024/1689 into Irish law, empowering market surveillance authorities to enforce AI rules and establishing regulatory sandbox for innovation testing.
- Amends four existing Acts (Central Bank 1942, Communications Regulation 2002, Competition and Consumer Protection 2014, Freedom of Information 2014) to enable AI Office functions and enforcement powers.
Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Adds residency requirements for social housing eligibility: household members must be lawfully and habitually resident in State, with exceptions for children and specific visa holders.
- Creates appeal process for social housing decisions: households can challenge eligibility determinations or housing type classifications within 14 days; decision made within 28 days by independent officer.
- Increases penalties under Residential Tenancies Act: class B to class A fines (up to €5,000) and doubles maximum jail term to 12 months; introduces fixed-payment notices for rent-setting breaches.
Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Sets 90-week deadline for Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy reviews to complete by end 2027; allows current Development Plans to remain in force until February-December 2030 on transitional basis.
- Extends new planning judicial review rules from 2024 Act to decisions under 2000 Act; removes need for Maritime Area Consent before Chapter 4 development pre-application consultation.
- Raises Housing Finance Agency borrowing limit from €13.5 billion to €15 billion; allows alteration of existing apartment permissions to align with design standards.
Postal and Telecommunications Services (Amendment) Bill 2026
16 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Amends Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 to increase funding available for post office network from €30m to €75m total.
- Provides €15m annually from 2026-2030 (€75m total) from Department of Culture, Communications and Sport budget for maintaining nationwide post offices.
- Funding classified as Service of General Economic Interest to support An Post's objective of meeting State's social and household service needs throughout Ireland.
Insurance (Disregard of Certain Medical History and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025
9 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current Catherine Ardagh
- Prohibits financial service providers from discriminating against cancer survivors in accessing insurance, assurance, and mortgage products once they reach five years post-treatment.
- Removes requirement for cancer survivors meeting five-year post-treatment criterion to disclose past diagnosis when applying for financial services.
- Establishes offences and penalties, including fines and imprisonment, for financial service providers who breach these discrimination prohibitions.
Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025
8 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Prohibits sale of single-use vapes (with or without nicotine) in Ireland from commencement, with 6-month transition period allowing existing stock sales.
- Appoints authorised officers with enforcement powers to inspect, investigate, and issue prohibition notices for contraventions of the sales ban.
- Creates criminal offences for selling single-use vapes and providing false information, with penalties for first and repeat breaches; excludes medical devices and medicinal products.
Criminal Justice (International Cooperation on Electronic Evidence and Other Matters) Bill 2026
8 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Establishes new Office of Director of Criminal Justice International Cooperation to monitor and enforce service providers' compliance with EU electronic evidence rules and issue financial penalties for breaches.
- Requires online service providers operating in Ireland to designate local offices or appoint legal representatives to receive and comply with court orders for electronic evidence by August 2026.
- Transfers oversight of removal orders for terrorist content online from Garda Commissioner to the new Director, who will scrutinise incoming orders for legal compliance.
Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026
1 Jul 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Courts can restrict or remove guardianship from someone convicted of murdering or manslaughtering another guardian, if it protects the child's safety and alternative care is arranged.
- Courts can restrict or remove guardianship from someone convicted of a serious offence (10+ years imprisonment) against another guardian, if it harmed the child's welfare and care changed.
- Child and Family Agency must apply within 6 months of conviction; court can review orders if conviction is quashed or child's circumstances significantly change.
Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025
25 Jun 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Creates mandatory registration scheme for home support providers. Providers must register with HIQA's Chief Inspector or face offence; registration can be refused, cancelled, or conditioned based on fit-and-proper-person test and compliance with ministerial regulations.
- Gives Chief Inspector power to inspect premises, collect data from providers, and enforce standards. Non-compliance can result in registration cancellation, with District Court appeal rights available and interim emergency orders possible within 28 days.
- Existing providers have 3-month notification window, then 2 years to apply for registration. During transition, existing providers must comply with data collection and information requirements as if already registered.
Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill 2024
24 Jun 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Replaces board appointment method: 10 elected members and 6 Minister-appointed members (previously 12 members via nominations and public competition).
- Establishes three statutory Regional Committees with board members and local authority representatives to consult with Gaeltacht communities twice yearly.
- Grants Údarás power to dispose of land to housing bodies for Gaeltacht housing; expands Gaeltacht Service Town designation to include towns within 30km of language planning areas.
Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026
18 Jun 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Creates modern statutory framework for Garda stop-and-search powers in public places and vehicles, replacing outdated 1976 and 1997 legislation with clear procedures and safeguards.
- Establishes detailed search warrant rules for premises, including specific protections for electronic devices, privilege screening, and High Court oversight of disputed privileged material.
- Strengthens custody rights by implementing EU Directive 2013/48/EU protections: access to lawyers, third-party notification, and consular communication for detained persons.
Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026
17 Jun 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Government gains power to designate specific infrastructure projects or programmes as critical by Order (subject to 21-day parliamentary annulment), requiring public bodies to prioritise and fast-track their approval.
- Public bodies involved in infrastructure approvals must cooperate, reduce timelines, avoid delays, and allocate resources to expedite designated critical projects without affecting their existing statutory duties.
- Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 section 15 no longer applies to designated critical infrastructure, removing potential conflict between climate requirements and infrastructure acceleration.
Air Pollution (Amendment) Bill 2025
11 Jun 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Strengthens enforcement by appointing authorised persons with powers to enter premises, inspect documents, detain vehicles, and serve compliance notices; non-compliance is an offence.
- Establishes fuel regulations registers managed by appointed bodies; providers must register and meet conditions; minor breaches (record-keeping, labelling) subject to €1,000 fixed payment notices instead of prosecution.
- Allows seizure and forfeiture of fuel and vehicles involved in offences; permits information-sharing between enforcement bodies and registration authorities to support air quality improvements.
Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025
11 Jun 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Amends Arbitration Act 2010 to make investment-protection awards under CETA, EU-Chile agreement, and prescribed future agreements enforceable in Irish courts by High Court order.
- Awards cannot be enforced if doing so would breach Ireland's constitutional order or EU legal autonomy; appeal lies to Supreme Court only by its acceptance.
- Minister for Foreign Affairs may add other investment-protection agreements by statutory order subject to 21-day parliamentary annulment procedure.
Gas Safety and Miscellaneous Amendments Bill 2026
28 May 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Gas undertakings must prepare and submit safety cases to the CRU to obtain safety permits; failure to comply is a criminal offence with penalties up to €3 million.
- CRU gains power to appoint gas emergency officers for LPG and issue safety licences for previously unregulated third-party domestic LPG networks in two classes.
- Gas safety framework transitions from administrative to statutory basis; appeals process introduced for CRU licensing decisions; redundant LPG incident regulations revoked.
International Co-operation (Omagh Bombing Inquiry) Bill 2026
28 May 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Allows Irish High Court judge to take oral evidence from Gardaí, Defence Forces members, civil servants, and former ministers for the UK's Omagh Bombing Inquiry.
- Permits survivors and family members (core participants) to attend evidence-taking sessions and hear witness testimony directly.
- Enables Inquiry to ask clarifying questions after judge's approved questions; evidence use restricted without consent of relevant Irish State body.
Air Navigation and Transport (Arms Embargo) Bill 2024
17 Apr 2026 Fifth Stage Current Lynn Ruane
- Restricts transit and export of weapons of war from Ireland to Israel; allows government inspection of planes carrying weapons through Irish airspace.
- Applies to aircraft seeking to move weapons through Ireland; enforcement mechanism and inspection procedures determined by regulations.
- Status unclear: scope of 'weapons of war' definition, enforcement powers, and penalties for violations not specified in long title alone.
International Protection Bill 2026
26 Mar 2026 Fifth Stage Current
- Replaces the 2015 International Protection Act; applies to applications lodged from 12 June 2026 onwards, implementing seven EU asylum and migration regulations.
- Establishes screening procedures requiring applicants to attend designated centres; includes biometric data collection (Eurodac), health and vulnerability assessments, and information provision.
- Creates new appeal tribunal and inspector office; designates Minister as determining authority; provides for representative appointments for unaccompanied minors and procedural safeguards.
Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023
1 Dec 2025 Fifth Stage Current Paul Gavan
- Amends the Disability Act 2005 and Equal Status Act 2000 to strengthen disability rights protections and related provisions.
- Changes affect how disability discrimination cases are handled and what protections apply to disabled people in daily life.
- Specific amendments not detailed in title alone; bill at final stage (Fifth Stage) in Oireachtas legislative process.
Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2022
14 Nov 2024 Fifth Stage Lapsed Regina Doherty
- Requires court permission before defendants in sexual offence cases can present character evidence at sentencing; prosecution and victims can question and challenge such evidence.
- Character evidence must be given on oath, affidavit, or statutory declaration; prosecution can present counter-evidence with witnesses in response.
- Entitles crime victims to legal aid for representation to cross-examine character witnesses at sentencing of sexual offence convictions.