R Rule.ie

19 Oct – 26 Oct 2026

This week in the Oireachtas

Bills introduced, stages reached and votes taken in the Houses of the Oireachtas over the past seven days. Updated daily.

New bills

Short-Term Lettings and Tourism Bill 2026

23 Oct 2026
First Stage Current
  • Designates Fáilte Ireland as the competent authority to manage a national register of short-term lettings, operate a Single Digital Entry Point, and collect data on short-term rental services to comply with EU Regulation 2024/1028.
  • Requires hosts offering short-term accommodation to obtain and display a valid registration number in advertisements; imposes obligations on online rental platforms to verify and display registration numbers or remove non-compliant listings.
  • Establishes enforcement powers including fixed payment notices, summary offences, and financial sanctions up to 2% of annual worldwide turnover for online platforms; empowers Fáilte Ireland to appoint officers to conduct inspections and investigations.

Spiking Offences Bill 2026

23 Oct 2026
Second Stage Current Mark Ward
  • Creates standalone spiking offence with maximum 10-year sentence, replacing current poisoning charge under 1997 Act carrying 3-year maximum.
  • Establishes statutory toxicology pathways in Garda stations and clinical settings to support victims' care and justice pursuit.
  • Addresses 278 reported spiking incidents since 2022, none previously prosecuted under existing legislation.

Finance (International Financial Institutions) Bill 2026

21 Oct 2026
First Stage Current
  • Allows Minister for Finance to grant money to IMF's Resilience and Sustainability Trust; Central Bank may loan/deposit 20% of Ireland's IMF special drawing rights to it.
  • Minister can guarantee Central Bank's repayment of special drawing rights value and interest transferred to the Trust; Central Bank must report annually on contributions.
  • Permits Dáil Éireann to approve technical, administrative, or EU-approved amendments to Articles of international financial institutions (IMF, World Bank, etc.) by resolution instead of new legislation.

Patient Safety (Right to Escalation and Clinical Review) Bill 2026

22 Oct 2026
Second Stage Current Aubrey McCarthy
  • Patients, family, and carers gain legal right to demand urgent clinical review if patient's condition seriously worsens.
  • Hospitals must run 24/7 critical review systems and protocols for sepsis and deterioration cases.
  • Hospitals must report and notify when staff fail to escalate patient care as required.

Bills that advanced

Votes

Browse all bills How a bill becomes law