Employment
Bills affecting workers' rights, pay, redundancy, working conditions and trade unions.
137 bills tracked under this topic.
Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026
3 Jul 2026 Cream List Current
- Prison officers can possess and use incapacitant spray during duties under Prison Rules; Firearms Act 1925 exempted accordingly.
- Community service orders available up to 24 months (from 12), with maximum hours raised to 480 and extended completion timeframe to two years.
- Two new sexual offences created: offering accommodation in exchange for sexual activity, with Class A fines as penalty.
Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024
11 May 2026 Cream List Current
- Transfers ownership of Microfinance Ireland from Social Finance Foundation to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
- Establishes a board of directors and chief executive officer for Microfinance Ireland, with director appointments and removals by the Minister.
- Removes Social Finance Foundation's consultation rights and loan repayment obligations; enables superannuation scheme for Microfinance Ireland staff.
Protection of Employees (Employers' Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025
9 Apr 2026 Enacted
- Creates deemed insolvency process: employees can apply to Minister if employer unpaid after 8 weeks; Minister decides based on employer details, tax records, and company filings.
- Extends protection to employers entering personal insolvency arrangements and those ceasing trade without formal wind-up; retrospectively covers claims from October 1983 onwards.
- Clarifies salary ceiling applied consistently to all employment rights awards from the Social Insurance Fund; ensures Circuit Court gender discrimination awards treated as recoverable debts.
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.
Work Life Balance (Right to Remote Work) Bill 2026
5 Feb 2026 Second Stage Current George Lawlor
- Removes requirement employees wait 6 months before remote working arrangement takes effect.
- Gives employers defined grounds to refuse remote work requests: job nature, reorganization burden, service quality impact, workspace unsuitability, or collective agreement conflict.
- Allows adjudication officers to assess remote work complaints on merit and award up to 4 weeks' pay compensation; Labour Court can affirm, vary or set aside decisions.
Maternity Protection (Child Bereavement) (Amendment) Bill 2026
29 Jan 2026 Second Stage Current Chris Andrews
- Amends Maternity Protection Act 1994 to let employees delay taking maternity leave if their child dies.
- Allows relevant employees to postpone maternity leave entitlements following child bereavement.
- Includes related provisions to support bereaved employees; specific deferral terms and conditions not detailed in long title.
National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025
9 Jan 2026 Enacted
- Amends National Training Fund Act 2000 to allow payments for acquiring land, premises, furniture, equipment, and upgrading or constructing premises.
- Payments must support skills training for employed persons, job seekers, or provide economy-wide skills requirement information.
- Enables National Training Fund to finance infrastructure and resources for training schemes under section 7 of the 2000 Act.
Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025
23 Dec 2025 Enacted
- Employees with contractual retirement ages below state pension age can notify employers in writing (3-12 months before retirement) that they do not consent to retire.
- Employers cannot enforce contractual retirement unless they provide written justification showing it serves a legitimate aim and the means are appropriate and necessary.
- Employees can claim compensation up to €40,000 or 104 weeks' pay at the Workplace Relations Commission if employers breach the Act or penalize them for exercising these rights.
Education (Leave for Injuries) Bill 2025
18 Dec 2025 Second Stage Current Laura Harmon
- Creates standards for a leave-of-absence scheme run by the Education Minister for teachers and special needs assistants injured at work.
- Sets rules teachers and assistants must follow to qualify for and use injury-related leave benefits under the scheme.
- Applies to teachers and special needs assistants; exact injury types and leave duration details not yet specified in bill text.
Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2021
11 Dec 2025 Second Stage Defeated Jennifer Whitmore
- Establishes National Just Transition Commission to bring workers, communities, employers and government into dialogue on plans and investments for fair transition to low-carbon economy.
- Requires prescribed bodies to prepare just transition plans promoting sustainable jobs, training and infrastructure in areas dependent on carbon-intensive industries.
- Adds statutory definition of 'just transition' to Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 to protect workers and communities vulnerable to zero-carbon transition.
National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Young Persons, Apprentices and Interns) Bill 2025
10 Dec 2025 Second Stage Current Malcolm Noonan
- Young employees will receive the full national minimum wage instead of reduced youth rates.
- Apprentices become covered by minimum wage laws for the first time; interns and work-experience participants must be paid minimum wage.
- Amends the 2000 National Minimum Wage Act to expand who qualifies for statutory wage protection.
Parental Bereavement Leave (Amendment) Bill 2021
11 Nov 2025 Committee Stage Current Réada Cronin
- Employees who lose a child get at least 10 working days bereavement leave, to be taken within 42 days of the child's death.
- Applies to children under 18 and stillborn children after 24 weeks pregnancy; amends Parental Leave Acts 1998 and 2006.
- Bereavement leave does not reduce other leave entitlements and is treated as part of overall leave allowance.
Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021
2 Oct 2025 Committee Stage Current Bríd Smith
- Extends time to dispute pension scheme changes from six months after retirement to six months from when the change was proposed.
- Allows retired workers' organisations to represent members in Workplace Relations Commission cases about pension scheme changes.
- Strengthens retired members' rights to stand for and be elected to pension scheme trustee boards.
Protection of Retail Workers Bill 2025
14 Aug 2025 Second Stage Current Mary Fitzpatrick
- Creates new criminal offences for assaulting or threatening retail workers while they work.
- Amends the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 to add these specific protections.
- Currently at Second Stage; practical penalties and exact scope of 'retail worker' undefined.
Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025
10 Jul 2025 Committee Stage Current Nicole Ryan
- Provides paid leave for employees after pregnancy loss and amends working time laws to protect this entitlement.
- Extends unfair dismissal protections to employees dismissed due to pregnancy loss or related circumstances.
- Creates opt-in register recording pregnancy loss, accessible only to registrants—not public searchable.
Organisation of Working Time (Leave for Health Screening Purposes) Bill 2025
4 Jul 2025 Second Stage Current Duncan Smith
- Creates statutory right to paid leave for employees to attend HSE cervical, breast, colon cancer screening, or other screening recommended by their doctor.
- Excludes health screening leave from weekly working hours cap calculations and nightly hours reference periods under Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.
- Dismissal for taking health screening leave is presumed unfair; protects continuity of service for redundancy; disputes handled by Workplace Relations Commission.
Remuneration Information and Pay Transparency Bill 2023
19 Jun 2025 Committee Stage Current Catherine Ardagh
- Requires employers to disclose remuneration information to promote pay equality between employees.
- Amends Employment Equality Acts 1998–2021 to add pay transparency rules and related protections.
- Currently in Committee Stage; aims to reduce unexplained wage gaps through disclosure requirements.
Taxes Consolidation (Rights of Performers and Film Workers) (Amendment) Bill 2025
11 Jun 2025 Second Stage Current Aengus Ó Snodaigh
- Amends Section 481 of Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to add three new conditions for issuing film tax relief certificates: companies must offer Irish performers equal terms to international performers, comply with copyright law, and prohibit 'buy-out' contracts.
- Film producers seeking tax relief must now demonstrate they meet these performer rights and copyright requirements when applying to the Minister for a cultural certificate before production begins.
- Addresses concerns raised by Budgetary Oversight Committee and Irish Equity about protecting performers' intellectual property rights and preventing forced surrender of future residual payments.
Ukraine Solidarity Bill 2022
28 May 2025 Second Stage Current Jim O'Callaghan
- Creates crime of aggression as Irish offence with universal jurisdiction; enables prosecution and extradition cooperation for acts furthering aggression against Ukraine.
- Establishes strong criminal penalties for breaching EU sanctions; allows Irish courts to award civil damages for acts related to aggression and seize frozen assets.
- Requires government ministers to recognize foreign qualifications of Ukrainian displaced persons within 28 days, enabling them to work in regulated professions.
Industrial Relations (Boycott of Joint Labour Committees) Bill 2025
22 May 2025 Second Stage Current George Lawlor
- Allows Labour Court to appoint employer/worker representatives to Joint Labour Committees without their organizations' cooperation if those organizations refuse or fail to consult.
- Enables Labour Court to independently formulate and adopt employment regulation orders (minimum pay/conditions) where appointment of balanced committee membership proves impracticable.
- Removes employer/worker veto over JLC establishment by allowing Court to proceed based on sector need, not organizational agreement or participation.
Trade Union Recognition Bill 2021
19 May 2025 Second Stage Defeated Richard Boyd Barrett
- Creates legal mechanism allowing unions with 20% or more member support to seek recognition by referring disputes to Labour Court.
- Labour Court investigates membership numbers and can issue Employment Regulation Orders requiring employers to negotiate with recognized unions.
- Employers must allow union representatives workplace access for member business and negotiate employment matters for union members.
Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025
14 May 2025 Second Stage Current Conor Murphy
- Adds 'socio-economic disadvantage' as a protected ground in the Employment Equality Act 1998, making it illegal to discriminate against job applicants or employees based on their area of origin or socio-economic background.
- Adds 'socio-economic disadvantage' as a protected ground in the Equal Status Act 2000, preventing discrimination in provision of goods, services, accommodation and education based on socio-economic status.
- Defines comparators and exceptions for both Acts to implement the new ground, including housing provider exemptions and clarifying when different treatment on socio-economic grounds is unlawful.
Unfair Dismissals (Increased Protections for Workers) (Amendment) Bill 2023
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Catherine Murphy
- Expands unfair dismissal protections to all employees regardless of employment length and removes age restrictions, covering workers over 16.
- Deems dismissal of single employee for industrial action unfair; protects workers dismissed for race, sexual orientation, trade union activity, pregnancy, protected disclosures, and other protected grounds.
- Reforms compensation system: awards decided by adjudication officer or Labour Court; full reimbursement of financial losses incurred due to dismissal; decisions issued within 28 days with reasoning.
Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Ivana Bacik
- Employees get paid leave following miscarriage or to access reproductive healthcare services.
- Amends 1997 Working Time Act; adds unfair dismissal protection for taking this leave.
- Prevents employers firing or penalizing staff for miscarriage-related absence or medical appointments.
National Minimum Wage (Equal Pay for Young Workers) Bill 2022
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Paul Murphy
- Removes lower minimum wage rates for workers aged 16–20, requiring them to receive 100% of the national minimum wage regardless of age.
- Deletes Section 15 of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000, which previously set reduced wage percentages for under-20s.
- Amends Section 14 of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to remove references to the deleted age-based wage reduction section.
Living Wage Bill 2022
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Ivana Bacik
- Renames Low Pay Commission to Living Wage Commission and changes its mandate to recommend hourly rates progressively increasing toward a living wage, defined as two-thirds median earnings or cost of essentials.
- Requires Commission to recommend minimum wage rates over three years that represent significant progress toward living wage; thereafter maintain actual living wage based on poverty measures and regional costs.
- Living wage calculated using 39-hour week multiplied by 52.14 weeks annually, assessed against CSO data on food, housing, healthcare, transport, and social participation costs for single adult.
Companies (Protection of Employees’ Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Mick Barry
- Amends Companies Act 2014 to recognize redundancy payments agreed in collective agreements as creditor claims in company liquidations.
- Grants employees preferential creditor status in company liquidations, improving their position relative to other creditors.
- Protects employee entitlements under collective agreements during winding up of insolvent companies.
Regulation of Lobbying (Post-Term Employment as Lobbyist) Bill 2020
2 May 2025 Committee Stage Current Ged Nash
- Amends the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 to make breaching the one-year cooling-off period for senior officials becoming lobbyists a 'relevant contravention,' enabling SIPO enforcement.
- Grants SIPO power to investigate cooling-off breaches via appointed officers who can request documents, access premises with consent or warrant, and maintain confidentiality.
- Makes cooling-off violations punishable by summary conviction (class C fine) or indictment (fine and/or up to 2 years imprisonment); reasonable steps defence available.
Public Services and Procurement (Workers' Rights) Bill 2017
2 May 2025 Second Stage Current Richard Boyd Barrett
- Public contracts cannot use lower wages or worse working conditions as competitive advantages in bidding.
- Bidders must maintain nationally established minimum wage and employment standards; selection criteria will reflect this requirement.
- Different rules may apply to contracts above or below EU spending thresholds; protects workers across all public procurement.
Health (Postponement of Certain Leave) Bill 2024
28 Mar 2025 Second Stage Current Mary Fitzpatrick
- Amends maternity and adoptive leave laws to allow postponement if person is diagnosed with or undergoing cancer treatment.
- Creates mechanism for eligible parents to defer their leave entitlements during medical treatment, then take it later.
- Applies to Maternity Protection Act 1994 and Adoptive Leave Act 1995; specific postponement conditions and duration not detailed in long title.
National Minimum Wage (Adequate Wages for Living) Bill 2024
5 Mar 2025 Second Stage Current Alice-Mary Higgins
- Amends the 2000 National Minimum Wage Act to implement an EU directive on adequate minimum wages across member states.
- Directive 2022/2041 sets standards for minimum wage levels; bill transposes these requirements into Irish law.
- Bill is at Second Stage; specific wage rates and implementation timeline not provided in available information.
Protection of Employees (Trade Union Subscriptions) Bill 2024
28 Feb 2025 Second Stage Defeated Joan Collins
- Requires employers to deduct trade union subscriptions from employee wages when requested in writing and remit within 21 days to the specified union.
- Standardizes remittance process by requiring employers to include specified information when sending deductions to trade unions and notifying employees.
- Allows employees to withdraw subscription requests in writing; permits existing arrangements and union-employer negotiations to operate outside these requirements.
Employment Equality (Pay Transparency) Bill 2022
20 Feb 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Pa Daly
- Amends Employment Equality Act 1998 to require job advertisers to publish approximate pay for advertised roles.
- Aims to enable workers to negotiate fairly and help close the gender pay gap through wage transparency.
- Applies to business and public sector organisations posting job advertisements.
Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021
20 Feb 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Chris Andrews
- Adds 'socio-economic disadvantage' as a prohibited ground of discrimination in employment under the Employment Equality Act 1998, preventing employers from discriminating based on applicant's background or address.
- Extends 'socio-economic disadvantage' protection to goods, services, accommodation, and education under the Equal Status Act 2000, preventing providers from discriminating based on where someone lives.
- Defines 'socio-economic disadvantage' and creates legal comparators and exceptions framework to align the new ground with existing equality protections across both Acts.
Construction Safety Licensing Bill 2023
5 Feb 2025 Report Stage Current
- Establishes a single licensing authority to license construction workers and tutors based on competence assessment, replacing the accredited training model.
- Creates a register of licensees and approved training organisations; sets up complaint, investigation, and appeals procedures for fraud or non-compliance.
- Designates the licensing authority as competent body to recognise foreign professional qualifications under EU Directive 2005/36/EC.
Public Procurement (Collective Bargaining and Collective Agreements Criteria) Bill 2024
30 Jan 2025 First Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Public contracts can now favour companies that use collective bargaining and collective agreements with employees when scoring bids.
- Implements EU Directive 2014/24/EU by adding collective bargaining status as a weighted award criterion in government procurement.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; did not progress to legislative debate or votes.
Workplace Relations (Exemplary Damages, Unfair Dismissals and Other Provisions) Bill 2024
30 Jan 2025 First Stage Lapsed Mark Wall
- Allows Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court to award exemplary damages in certain workplace cases.
- Makes non-disclosure agreements unenforceable against employees who didn't get independent legal advice before signing.
- Updates unfair dismissal laws to match EU rules on transparent, predictable working conditions for employees.
Protection of Retail Workers Bill 2024
30 Jan 2025 First Stage Lapsed Malcolm Byrne
- Creates new criminal offences for assaulting or threatening retail workers while they work.
- Amends the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 to add these specific protections.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage and has lapsed without becoming law.
Broadcasting (Restriction of Salaries) Bill 2023
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Rónán Mullen
- Caps RTÉ and TG4 salaries at the level of Cabinet Ministers (€195,161 in 2023); applies to employees and contractors.
- Requires RTÉ and TG4 to publish names and salaries of staff earning above a Dáil member's salary (€107,376 in 2023).
- Creates criminal offences for breaching salary cap or publishing false remuneration data, with fines up to €50,000 and/or five years imprisonment.
National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Apprentices) Bill 2023
30 Jan 2025 Second Stage Lapsed Marie Sherlock
- Extends national minimum wage protections to apprentices by amending the National Minimum Wage Act 2000.
- Apprentices currently excluded from minimum wage requirements; this bill includes them within existing wage protections.
- Bill lapsed at Second Stage; did not progress to further debate or enactment.
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.
Right to Flexible Work Bill 2022
30 Jan 2025 First Stage Lapsed Annie Hoey
- Employees gain legal right to request flexible work arrangements from their employer.
- Employers must respond to requests within a set timeframe and can only refuse if not reasonably practicable.
- Employers must have written flexible work policy; employees and Workplace Relations Commission can inspect it. Appeals available against refusals.
National Minimum Wage (Removal of Sub-minimum Rates of Pay) Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 First Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to remove lower pay rates for 16-year-olds and new employees in first two years.
- All affected workers would receive the standard minimum wage instead of current reduced rates.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage introduction in Seanad; lapsed without becoming law.
Worker Co-Operatives and Right To Buy Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 First Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1893 to update rules governing worker co-operatives and related organisations.
- Bill lapsed without progressing beyond First Stage; specific provisions on 'right to buy' not detailed in available information.
- Intended to modernise legal framework for industrial and provident societies, but detailed scope of changes unavailable.
Protection of Employment (Platform Workers and Bogus Self-Employment) Bill 2021
30 Jan 2025 First Stage Lapsed Marie Sherlock
- Creates legal presumption that individuals executing work under contract are employees unless proven otherwise, reversing burden of proof.
- Declares employment status determined by law and substance of relationship, not parties' labels; applies to platform workers and gig economy roles.
- Amends Terms of Employment Act 1994 to require employers disclose automated work allocation systems and customer review processes affecting pay or task assignment.
Special Measures in the Public Interest (Derrybrien Wind Farm) Bill 2023
30 Jan 2025 First Stage Defeated Tom Clonan
- Bill transfers Derrybrien wind farm ownership to Western Development Commission to help secure Ireland's electricity supply.
- Allows removal of current Gort Windfarms staff and appointment of new personnel; renames company and transfers land lease.
- Suspends certain company law rules for Gort Windfarms; existing contracts remain valid. Bill was defeated at first stage.
Family Courts Bill 2022
18 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Establishes three specialized family court divisions—Family High Court, Family Circuit Court, and Family District Court—within existing court structures to handle family law proceedings.
- Assigns judges to family courts based on suitability for family law; Principal Judges serve minimum 4-year terms; ordinary judges serve minimum 3-year terms and may request reassignment.
- Requires courts to apply guiding principles including child welfare prioritization, encouraging alternative dispute resolution, and conducting proceedings informally without wigs or gowns.
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.
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.
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.
Local Government (Maternity and Family Leave for Elected Members) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Holly Cairns
- Allows local authority members to take maternity, adoptive, parental, and force majeure leave without needing council approval, matching staff entitlements under existing leave laws.
- Protects members from deemed resignation due to absence for childbirth or adoption by treating notified leave as approved under current attendance rules.
- Extends the 6-month absence limit to account for eligible family leave periods, preventing automatic loss of membership for qualifying absences.
Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Marian Harkin
- Amends Credit Union Act 1997 to allow credit unions to provide additional financial services to members for mutual benefit, subject to board approval and required regulatory authorizations.
- Establishes a Credit Union Policy Committee to review Central Bank policies, provide feedback during policy development, and represent stakeholder interests in the credit union sector.
- Requires Central Bank to protect community-based and volunteer ethos of credit unions when regulating them, and requires Minister for Finance consent for minimum reserve requirements.
Organisation of Working Time (Workers' Rights and Bogus Self-Employment) (Amendment) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Louise O'Reilly
- Makes it an offence for employers to misclassify employees as self-employed when the actual working relationship is that of an employee.
- Extends Organisation of Working Time Act protections to Garda members, Defence Forces personnel, sea workers, and trainee doctors.
- Grants self-employed workers entitlements to daily rest, weekly rest, annual leave, public holiday pay, and limits on average weekly hours.
Workplace Ventilation (Covid-19) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Murphy
- Amends Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 to require employers ensure sufficient fresh air in enclosed workplaces, defined by CO2 levels as emergency Covid-19 measure.
- Gives employees right to request HSA inspection of workplace ventilation; inspectors measure CO2 and issue improvement notices above 900 ppm or prohibition notices above 1,500 ppm.
- Requires Minister review Act within 3 months of coming into force.
Employment Equality (Amendment) (Non-Disclosure Agreements) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 Fifth Stage Lapsed Lynn Ruane
- Adds new section 14B to Employment Equality Act 1998 prohibiting employers from using non-disclosure agreements after workplace sexual harassment or discrimination incidents.
- Allows NDAs only if the harassed employee requests one to protect their own confidentiality, with specified conditions for enforceability.
- Makes non-compliant NDAs unenforceable and void; creates employer offence; requires plain English agreements and Minister to issue regulations and guidelines.
Redundancy Payments (Lay off, Short Time and Calculation of Reckonable Service) Bill 2021
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Louise O'Reilly
- Clarifies employees on lay-off or short time can take other work without losing redundancy rights from previous employer.
- Makes it an offence for employers to falsely treat laid-off employees as resigned to deny redundancy entitlements.
- Requires Minister to report on counting lay-off periods during emergency as reckonable service for redundancy payment calculations.
Organisation of Working Time (Amendment) (Carryover of Annual Leave) (Covid-19) Bill 2020
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Louise O'Reilly
- Amends Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 to allow employees to carry over untaken annual leave where Covid-19 made it impracticable to take leave.
- Carried-over leave can be taken in the two leave years immediately following the year in which it was due.
- If employment ends with outstanding carried-over leave, employer must pay compensation equal to wages the employee would have earned taking that leave.
Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2020
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Mairéad Farrell
- Extends cooling-off period for public officials from one to two years after leaving office before engaging in lobbying activities.
- Requires designated public officials to cease communication with unregistered or sanctioned lobbyists; Commission can direct cessation and determine duration.
- Makes code of conduct compliance mandatory; Commission gains power to investigate breaches and publish annual reports to Oireachtas.
Organisation of Working Time (Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2020
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Louise O'Reilly
- Adds statutory paid leave entitlement for employees affected by domestic violence to the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.
- Protects domestic violence leave from weekly working hour caps and extends unfair dismissal protections to employees taking such leave.
- Defines domestic violence, coercive control, and eligible persons; empowers Workplace Relations Commission to resolve disputes over entitlements.
Organisation of Working Time (Amendment) (Right to Disconnect) Bill 2020
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Louise O'Reilly
- Amends the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 to create a legal right for employees to disconnect from work emails, texts, and calls outside working hours.
- Requires employers to establish a right-to-disconnect policy in consultation with employees and trade unions, setting specific hours when work contact is not expected.
- Allows employees to voluntarily waive their right to disconnect only with explicit consent, aiming to reduce work-related stress from 'always on' culture.
Sick Leave and Parental Leave (Covid-19) Bill 2020
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Alan Kelly
- Creates legal right to paid sick leave for employees after 4 weeks employment, capped at 6 continuous weeks or 30 days per 12 months, paid at normal weekly rate.
- Expands force majeure leave under Parental Leave Act 1998 to cover parents whose children cannot attend school/pre-school due to Covid-19 Government measures.
- Makes sick leave entitlements non-waivable except by collective or registered employment agreements; disputes resolved through workplace relations procedures.
Industrial Relations (Sectoral Employment Orders Confirmation) Bill 2020
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Ged Nash
- Gives statutory effect to three Labour Court recommendations on pay, sick pay, and pensions in mechanical engineering, construction, and electrical contracting sectors.
- Ensures workers in these sectors receive minimum pay and conditions set by Labour Court recommendations, overriding lower contract terms.
- Addresses High Court judgment that struck down sectoral employment order framework, protecting entitlements of tens of thousands of workers pending appeal.
Broadcasting (Amendment) (Protection of Journalism) Bill 2019
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed David Cullinane
- Amends Broadcasting Act 2009 to make it a breach of contract or licence to prohibit National Union of Journalists members from communications media based on their occupational or employment status.
- Protects journalists from discrimination in broadcasting roles due to professional affiliation, employer, or employment status.
- Creates enforceable obligation on broadcasters holding contracts or licences under the Act not to exclude journalists for union membership or related reasons.
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
- Empowers the Human Rights and Equality Commission to create a scheme requiring employers with 50+ employees to publish gender pay gap data.
- Scheme must mandate disclosure of mean and median pay differences between male and female workers, bonus pay gaps, and quartile breakdowns by full-time/part-time status.
- Employers who breach scheme requirements commit an offence liable to summary conviction with a Class A fine; data supports enforcement action under existing equality legislation.
Trade Union (Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Aengus Ó Snodaigh
- Allows Gardaí and Defence Forces members to join trade unions and associations, ending current legal ban.
- Permits Defence Forces associations to become trade unions if they wish to reconstitute themselves.
- Bans strike action by Gardaí, Defence Forces, and their unions to protect public safety.
National Minimum Wage (Protection of Employee Tips) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to protect service sector employees' right to receive customer tips and gratuities.
- Ensures tips paid by customers reach employees rather than being retained by employers or deducted from wages.
- Bill lapsed before completion; specific enforcement mechanisms and penalties not yet enacted into law.
Protection of Employees (Collective Redundancies) Bill 2017
14 Nov 2024 Second Stage Lapsed David Cullinane
- Provides protections for employees facing collective redundancy when their employer becomes insolvent.
- Addresses related matters connected to employee safeguards in insolvency-driven mass layoff situations.
- Bill lapsed during legislative process; specific protections and implementation details not enacted.
Protection of Minimum Wage Earners Bill 2013
14 Nov 2024 First Stage Lapsed Pearse Doherty
- Amends Finance Act 2011 to raise income thresholds for universal social charge (USC) liability.
- Aimed to reduce USC burden on lower-income earners by increasing threshold levels.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress beyond First Stage in Dáil.
Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Bill 2024
4 Nov 2024 Enacted
- Allows employees with serious physical or mental health conditions to postpone maternity leave for 5-52 weeks, with medical certification and 2-week employer notice required.
- Entitles members of Houses of the Oireachtas to 26 weeks maternity leave, formally called maternity leave for members, when properly notified.
- Amends Maternity Protection Act 1994 and Employment Equality Act 1998; includes provisions for preserving certain institutional records in public interest.
Motor Insurance Insolvency Compensation Bill 2024
15 Oct 2024 Enacted
- Establishes Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland as official Compensation Body to handle claims from motor accidents where insurers are insolvent, funded by Insurance Compensation Fund.
- Requires claimants receive compensation payment within three months of accepting offer; streamlines process so injured parties deal directly with Compensation Body rather than multiple liquidators.
- Requires Irish insurers selling motor policies across EU borders to contribute to Insurance Compensation Fund on 'home basis'; enables Minister to set contribution regulations and materiality thresholds for claim audits.
Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Introduces soft opt-out system for organ donation: adults can donate organs after death unless they register objection on Organ Donation Opt-Out Register maintained by HSE.
- Requires consent for all post-mortem examinations in hospitals outside coroner jurisdiction; allows living persons to donate bodies for anatomical examination or public display.
- Repeals Anatomy Act 1832; establishes independent panel to approve certain living donations and altruistic donation; amends 2006 and 2012 EU tissue and organ regulations.
Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Establishes corporate credit unions (credit unions whose members are other credit unions) and allows public bodies to become credit union members.
- Reduces board meeting frequency from 10 to minimum 6 annually; allows board to delegate member application reviews; permits managers to serve as directors.
- Allows Minister to set maximum interest rates on credit union loans; permits credit unions to refer members to other credit unions for unavailable services.
Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Local authority members gain statutory maternity leave equivalent to employees under Maternity Protection Act 1994, with leave ending when their term of office ends.
- Members on maternity leave no longer risk automatic resignation; casual vacancy does not occur, and no council resolution needed to extend leave beyond six months.
- Members can nominate temporary substitute to fill their role during maternity leave, illness, or extended absence 'in good faith,' appointed by co-option until member returns or term ends.
Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme allowing Minister to guarantee up to €1.2 billion in business credit, with Minister's liability capped at €960 million, open until 31 December 2024.
- Expands eligible enterprises to include small mid-caps and primary producers under the new Ukraine scheme, separate from existing scheme with different terms.
- Increases aggregate liability limit for SBCI loan guarantee agreements from €50 million to €180 million to enable new SME loan schemes.
Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Employees get five days' leave for medical care of relatives or household members needing significant care, without prior notice required.
- Employees can request flexible working arrangements for caring purposes; employers must respond within timeframe with limited grounds for refusal.
- Maternity protection extended to two years for breastfeeding breaks and to transgender males with gender recognition certificates who become pregnant.
Employment Permits Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Replaces 2003 and 2006 Employment Permits Acts. Creates ten types of permits including new Seasonal Employment Permit for recurring seasonal roles.
- Requires foreign nationals to hold employment permit to work in Ireland; employers must ensure compliance or face penalties; subcontractors must verify permits are in place.
- Introduces Labour Market Needs Test requiring roles be advertised on EURES and online platforms before hiring non-EEA workers; maintains 50:50 rule requiring half workforce be EEA/UK/Swiss nationals.
Water Environment (Abstractions and Associated Impoundments) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Establishes modern registration and licensing system for water abstractions administered by EPA, replacing outdated 1942-1964 legislation; registration required above minimum threshold, licensing above higher threshold.
- Grants Irish Water emergency powers to abstract water during drought or other crises; provides compensation for material adverse effects on third-party water rights from public abstractions.
- Repeals Water Supplies Act 1942 and related provisions; requires Environmental Impact Assessments for certain abstractions; allows Irish Water to abstract from ESB reservoirs with agreement.
Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Establishes security obligations for electronic communications providers to take appropriate risk management measures; allows Minister to set security guidelines and ComReg to enforce compliance.
- Creates consumer protections including minimum quality-of-service standards, customer charters, compensation schemes, and dispute resolution procedures through ComReg.
- Introduces administrative sanctions regime for regulatory breaches, including settlement and commitment procedures, with High Court appeals available.
Screening of Third Country Transactions Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Allows Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to review and screen foreign investments in designated sectors valued at €2M+ where control changes hands, to assess security and public order risks.
- Empowers Minister to prohibit transactions, impose conditions, or allow them to proceed; parties must notify 10 days before completion; failure to notify or provide false information is an offence.
- Establishes independent adjudicators panel to hear appeals against Minister's screening decisions within 30 days; adjudicator can remit to Minister for reconsideration or affirm the decision.
Consumer Rights Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Consolidates consumer rights for goods sales, digital content/services, and non-digital services. Implements EU directives on goods sales, digital contracts, and consumer protection enforcement.
- Requires traders to deliver goods conforming to contract; consumers can repair, replace, reduce price, or terminate within specified periods if goods lack conformity.
- Amends Consumer Protection Act 2007 to strengthen enforcement powers; amends Consumer Credit Act 1995 to cover hire-purchase and consumer-hire agreements.
Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Central Bank can now collect and publish data on insurance claim deductions related to State supports through the National Claims Information Database.
- Central Bank must report within 18 months on price-walking practices, automatic renewals, and insurer pricing oversight, with findings laid before Parliament.
- Insurers must disclose deductions from claim settlements to consumers; clarifies legal privilege rules post-claim and allows exclusions for certain criminal conduct.
Planning and Development, Maritime and Valuation (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Removes the two-stage 'leave to apply' process for substitute consent applications, allowing single-stage applications directly to An Bord Pleanála for unauthorised developments requiring retrospective Environmental Impact Assessment or Appropriate Assessment.
- Extends simultaneous application rules to allow applicants to apply for future development permissions alongside substitute consent applications for all development types, not just quarries.
- Requires planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála to screen retention applications for Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment requirements, and refuse to consider applications where such assessments are required.
Sick Leave Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Employees entitled to up to 3 statutory paid sick leave days per year when unwell, with Minister able to vary the number but never below 3 days.
- Employers must pay employees for sick leave at a rate set by Minister regulation; more favourable employer schemes satisfy the requirement instead.
- Labour Court may exempt employers unable to pay; employees protected from penalisation for taking sick leave; employers must keep records or face penalties.
Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Expands who can report wrongdoing: now includes volunteers, shareholders, board members, and pre-employment recruitment contexts.
- Requires employers with 50+ staff and public bodies to set up formal reporting channels acknowledging reports within 7 days and providing feedback within 3 months.
- Creates Office of Protected Disclosures Commissioner (within Ombudsman) to receive reports and direct them to appropriate authorities or investigate directly as last resort.
Competition (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Introduces independent adjudication officers to enforce competition law through non-criminal sanctions, including financial penalties and structural remedies, appealable to the High Court.
- Increases criminal penalties for competition law breaches requiring intentional or reckless conduct; expands CCPC surveillance powers for investigating economic crime.
- Requires notification of below-threshold mergers affecting Irish competition; permits CCPC to unwind completed mergers and void those breaching notification requirements.
Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Employers must distribute electronic tips fairly and transparently, cannot retain employee tips except where they perform substantial work, and must provide written statements within 10 days showing amounts distributed.
- Employers prohibited from deducting tips or gratuities from wages except as required by law or to cover electronic payment costs; must consult employees before changing tip distribution policies.
- Employers must display tips and gratuities policy prominently; new employees must receive statement of employer's policy on tips within 5 days of starting work.
Redundancy Payments (Amendment) Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Employees laid off due to Covid-19 restrictions (March 2020–September 2021) who later become redundant receive a compensatory payment from the Social Insurance Fund equal to their lost redundancy entitlement.
- Employers must apply for the payment; if they refuse, employees can apply directly. Deciding officers assess eligibility and the Minister authorizes payment within 3 years of the emergency period ending.
- The payment equals the difference between the redundancy lump sum an employee would have received without lay-off and what they actually receive due to the lay-off period.
Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Creates Construction Industry Register Ireland to register and regulate building works providers; government appoints registration body to assess competence, set standards, investigate complaints, and impose sanctions.
- Registered providers must demonstrate relevant qualifications or practical experience, maintain public liability insurance, comply with continuing professional development, and notify material changes to registration body.
- Establishes appeals process: complaints investigated by inspectors; Board determines sanctions (removal, suspension, or division restrictions); appeals go to Appeals Committee then High Court for major sanctions.
Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Establishes points system for fishing boat masters for serious Common Fisheries Policy breaches; accumulation triggers suspension then removal from register, prohibiting boat command.
- Creates Irish Fishing Master Register maintained by Minister; masters must register to legally command Irish or foreign fishing boats; registration can be refused for incomplete/false applications.
- Implements EU control regulations via independent Determination Panel and Appeals Officer; decisions appealable to High Court; unblocks €25 million EU co-funding suspended for Ireland's fisheries enforcement.
Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Approves two international agreements amending the European Stability Mechanism Treaty and the Single Resolution Fund arrangement, ratifying reforms agreed by eurozone countries in November 2020.
- Enables Ireland to introduce the Common Backstop to the Single Resolution Fund in January 2022, two years ahead of schedule, and updates Ireland's ESM capital contribution following Slovakia's correction period end.
- Amends three existing Irish Acts to update definitions and extend their scope to cover the new amending agreements, with no significant additional exchequer costs.
Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Allows Irish courts to recognize and enforce criminal sentences imposed by EU member states without the sentenced person's consent in certain circumstances, such as when they are a national of the executing state.
- Permits Irish authorities to transfer sentenced persons to other EU states for enforcement when rehabilitation prospects improve, subject to consultation with the executing state and consent requirements.
- Establishes procedures for provisional arrest, court applications for recognition, and grounds for refusal to enforce foreign sentences, with a 90-day decision timeline for court recognition applications.
Workplace Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Adjudication officer proceedings now default to public hearings; officers can direct private proceedings only when circumstances warrant it, reversing prior blanket ban.
- Adjudication officers gain power to administer oaths/affirmations and can impose criminal penalties for wilful false evidence, addressing constitutional deficiency.
- Labour Court members declared statutorily independent; employers gain right to notice and hearing in enforcement proceedings; amendments applied across six employment law Acts.
Employment Permits (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 First Stage Defeated Paul Murphy
- Allows migrant workers without valid permits to access Workplace Relations Commission if they took reasonable steps to obtain one, enabling them to claim compensation for employer breaches.
- Permits migrant workers on general employment permits to change employers within first year if employment risks their health, safety, dignity or wellbeing, without losing work rights.
- Requires employers in meat processing, dairy and horticulture to provide sick pay schemes covering at least 70% of wages for 4 weeks to 6 months before receiving permits.
Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2021
11 Sep 2024 Enacted
- Adoptive couples can now choose which parent takes adoptive leave; same-sex male couples gain eligibility for the first time.
- Parent's leave extended from 2 to 5 weeks per parent; timeframe to use leave extended from 1 to 2 years.
- Child and Family Agency Board increased from 7 to 9 ordinary members with related quorum adjustments.
Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024
30 Aug 2024 Enacted
- Introduces Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit for newly unemployed workers, paying 60% of previous earnings (max €450/week) for up to 39 weeks if they have 260+ PRSI contributions.
- Increases PRSI rates cumulatively by 0.7 percentage points from 2024 to 2028, and raises self-employment minimum annual payment from €500 to €650.
- Makes Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit taxable; allows Criminal Assets Bureau to seize social welfare overpayments; adjusts public service pensions for paternity and parents' benefits.
Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024
30 Aug 2024 Enacted
- Creates independent State body to establish and administer automatic enrolment retirement savings system for employees not covered by qualifying pension schemes.
- Automatically enrolls eligible employees; allows opting in or out; collects contributions from participants, employers, and State; invests funds and pays savings at State Pension age.
- Board-governed Authority must publish strategy every 3 years, annual plans, statistical data, and conduct system review within 5 years of operation; Pensions Authority supervises.
Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 Enacted
- Increases weekly rates of maternity, adoptive, paternity, and parent's benefits by €12; extends parent's benefit from seven to nine weeks from August 2024.
- Prevents concurrent payment of illness or injury benefit with statutory sick pay; limits combined weekly payments to six days maximum.
- Allows deferral of State pension (contributory) claims up to age 70 with higher rates at later claim ages; enables long-term carers to qualify for contributory pension in certain circumstances.
Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 Enacted
- Amends Protection of Employment Act 1977 to require consultation with employees' representatives before collective redundancies and notification to Minister, with 30-day delay before dismissals take effect, even during insolvency.
- Establishes statutory Employment Law Review Group to monitor and advise Minister on employment and redundancy law, with bi-annual work programmes and annual reports to Oireachtas.
- Amends Companies Act 2014 to require directors notify employees of winding-up petitions, obligate liquidators share financial information with workers as creditors, and ease court remedies for improper asset transfers.
Control of Exports Bill 2023
30 Aug 2024 Enacted
- Replaces 2008 exports law with new controls on exporting dual-use items (usable for civilian or military purposes) and military items; requires authorization and 60-day advance notice for exports, brokering, technical assistance, or transit of controlled goods.
- Establishes Minister as competent authority to grant export authorizations; creates appeals process through adjudicators and High Court for denied applications, with confidential hearings for sensitive national security information.
- Creates enforcement powers: authorized officers can inspect premises, request records, issue compliance notices, and seize items; establishes penalties up to forfeiture for breaches; repeals Control of Exports Act 2008 and related regulations.
Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Decisions on Supervision Measures) Bill 2019
17 Feb 2023 Enacted
- Allows Irish courts to grant bail to charged persons lawfully resident abroad, with conditions monitored in their home EU Member State instead of remand in custody.
- Enables Irish courts to recognize and monitor bail conditions for foreign-charged EU residents, with conditions adapted to Irish law where necessary, decided within 20 working days.
- Requires Central Authority (Minister for Justice) to consult with other Member States on supervision decisions, breaches, and victim risks; permits court hearings via live TV link when supervised person is abroad.
Trade Union Representation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2018
10 Jan 2022 First Stage Defeated David Cullinane
- Amends 1941 and 2001 labour laws to give authorised unions the right to have employer recognition for member representation in pay negotiations and disciplinary cases.
- Employers would be required to acknowledge and deal with union representatives on collective bargaining and worker disciplinary matters.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage introduction; was defeated and did not become law.
Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2019
22 Jul 2021 Enacted
- Amends Employment Equality Act 1998 to require regulations mandating certain employers publish gender pay gap data: mean/median hourly and bonus pay gaps by gender, and staff composition by gender.
- Phased rollout: regulations apply only to employers with 50+ staff initially; expanded to 150+ after 3 years and 250+ after 2 years of first regulations.
- Employers must publish reasons for any gaps and measures taken or planned to eliminate them. IHREC can seek Circuit Court orders for non-compliance; employees can complain to Workplace Relations Commission.
Public Service Pay Bill 2020
9 Jul 2021 Enacted
- Allows Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to approve public servant pay increases beyond statutory, court, or legal entitlement changes.
- Permits retrospective amendment of employment contracts to increase pay from bill enactment date, without requiring separate ministerial approval.
- Aligns repeal dates of pay restrictions across the 2009 and 2017 public service pay legislation to the bill's enactment date.
Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2020
25 Mar 2021 Enacted
- Creates two new criminal offences: fraud affecting EU financial interests and misappropriation, replacing older fraud provisions in the 2001 Act.
- Extends criminal jurisdiction to cover cross-border VAT fraud, procurement fraud, and misuse of public funds by officials affecting EU finances.
- Enables freezing and confiscation of proceeds and assets from these offences; adds offences to Criminal Justice Act 1994 for investigative powers.
Organisation of Working Time (Workers Rights and Bogus Self-Employment) (Amendment) Bill 2019
25 Feb 2021 First Stage Withdrawn Maurice Quinlivan
- Makes it an offence for employers to misclassify employees as self-employed when the actual working relationship indicates an employment contract.
- Extends Organisation of Working Time Act protections to Garda members, Defence Forces personnel, sea workers, and trainee doctors.
- Grants self-employed workers rights to daily rest, weekly rest, maximum working hours, annual leave, and public holiday pay to reduce bogus self-employment incentives.
Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020
12 Jan 2021 Enacted
- Allows credit unions to hold meetings wholly or partly by remote electronic means during interim period (to 30 April 2021, extendable by Government order) and permanently thereafter, with electronic voting mechanisms.
- Enables credit union members to vote by proxy at general meetings, with proxy deposits allowed electronically up to 48 hours before meeting, subject to credit union rules.
- Extends Fiscal Council member term limit from two to three consecutive terms; adds EU as facility lender under Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Act 2010 for State loan compliance.
Credit Union Restructuring Board (Dissolution) Bill 2019
16 Dec 2020 Enacted
- Dissolves the Credit Union Restructuring Board and transfers its assets, liabilities, and functions to the Minister for Finance effective on a dissolution day appointed by order.
- Amends the Credit Union and Co-operation with Overseas Regulators Act 2012 to remove ReBo approval requirements for stabilisation support and transfer ReBo Levy collection powers to the Minister.
- Updates the Central Bank Act 1942 and Freedom of Information Act 2014 to replace references to ReBo with the Minister for Finance for confidential information sharing and levy collection purposes.
National Minimum Wage (Removal of Sub-minimum Rates of Pay) Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to remove lower pay rates for workers aged 16 and over.
- Ends sub-minimum wages for employees in their first two years of employment.
- Bill lapsed without becoming law; did not progress past Second Stage debate.
Industrial Relations (Collective Action) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 First Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Amends the 1990 Industrial Relations Act to allow collective action without exhausting all agreed dispute procedures first.
- Removes the legal requirement that workers must complete every step in company procedures before striking or taking industrial action.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; no record of passage into law. Practical effect unclear as not enacted.
Protection of Employment (Uncertain Hours) Bill 2016
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
- Removes loophole that excluded casual workers from zero-hours protections under the 1997 Organisation of Working Time Act, extending pay entitlements to those initially engaged casually.
- Allows employees working 6+ months with regular patterns to request written contracts reflecting actual hours worked, with employers able to refuse only for seasonal/emergency reasons.
- Creates enforcement mechanism through Workplace Relations Commission adjudication officers with power to order compliance and compensation up to 104 weeks' remuneration for breaches.
Critical Health Professionals Bill 2017
20 Apr 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Mark Daly
- Allows health professionals in publicly-funded health organisations to voluntarily defer mandatory retirement age, if both employee and employer agree in writing.
- Extension periods proposed as up to two years initially, renewable once for another two years, with both parties' ongoing consent required throughout.
- Excludes those who previously took early or voluntary retirement; preserves employees' existing conditions of employment except the mandatory retirement clause.
Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 Committee Stage Lapsed Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
- Makes employment status a legal determination based on actual work conditions, not parties' labels or contract descriptions.
- Protects workers misclassified as self-employed by allowing Workplace Relations Commission to declare employment relationship and award up to 2 years compensation.
- Applies false self-employment test across tax, social welfare and employment law where worker performs same work as employee with subordination and no commercial risk.
Arts (Dignity at Work) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018
20 Apr 2020 First Stage Lapsed Paul Gavan
- Allows Arts Council to require funded organisations comply with employment laws as a condition of receiving grants.
- Amends the 2003 Arts Act to give Council power to enforce workplace rights standards among funded arts bodies.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; did not progress to debate or vote in the Oireachtas.
Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Bill 2020
2 Apr 2020 Enacted
- Suspends residential tenancy terminations and rent increases for initial 3-month period, extendable by government order.
- Enables simplified re-registration of retired health professionals (doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, etc.) to address Covid-19 workforce needs.
- Introduces temporary wage subsidy scheme operated by Revenue Commissioners, with government contributing to eligible employers' wage costs for employees.
Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2013
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Jonathan O'Brien
- Adds gender identity as a protected characteristic in employment discrimination law alongside existing protections.
- Extends discrimination protections to cover civil status, gender identity, and sexual orientation in employment and vocational training.
- Amends Employment Equality Acts 1998–2011 to broaden who cannot be discriminated against in hiring, training, and professional bodies.
Equality (Amendment) Bill 2014
19 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Richard Boyd Barrett
- Amends employment and public services equality laws from 1998 and 2000, but specific changes not detailed in available information.
- Sponsored by Richard Boyd Barrett; bill did not progress beyond initial presentation stage.
- Status: Lapsed—bill expired without becoming law; full scope of proposed amendments unclear.
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.
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.
Prohibition of Bogus Self Employment Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Willie O'Dea
- Makes it illegal for employers to deliberately classify employees as self-employed; conviction carries Class A fine or up to 12 months imprisonment or both.
- Workplace Relations Commission can prosecute offences and recover investigation and prosecution costs from convicted persons.
- Establishes 12-month timeframe to bring proceedings; defence available if person exercised due diligence to ensure correct employment status designation.
Parental Bereavement Leave (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Anne Rabbitte
- Amends Parental Leave Acts 1998 and 2006 to create new bereavement leave entitlement for employees whose child dies.
- Employees entitled to minimum 10 working days bereavement leave, taken within 42 days of child's death; applies to children under 18 and stillborn children after 24 weeks.
- Bereavement leave does not affect other employment rights or entitlements; treated as separate leave category.
Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2019
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Michael McGrath
- Establishes independent Credit Union Appeals Committee to hear appeals of Central Bank regulatory decisions affecting credit unions, removing current restrictions on appealable decisions.
- Committee comprises up to seven members with credit union knowledge and financial expertise, appointed by Minister for Finance for specified terms, chaired by ministerial nominee.
- Removes limitations in 2012 Act on which Central Bank decisions credit unions can challenge, making all regulatory decisions appealable through the new Committee mechanism.
Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Catherine Martin
- Creates National Just Transition Commission to coordinate workers, communities, employers, and government in planning Ireland's shift to low-carbon economy.
- Requires certain bodies to prepare just transition plans ensuring fair treatment of workers and communities during economic transformation.
- Amends Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015; expands Commission's powers for related policy implementation.
Shared Maternity Leave and Benefit Bill 2018
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Lisa Chambers
- Amends maternity laws to allow parents to share maternity leave entitlements between them instead of one parent taking all leave.
- Modifies the Maternity Protection Acts 1994 and 2004, and Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 to enable shared leave arrangements.
- Bill lapsed during Second Stage; status as of latest information indicates it did not progress to law.
All Terrain Vehicle Safety Bill 2018
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Dara Calleary
- Sets safety standards for how all-terrain vehicles are made and their component materials.
- Requires health and safety practices when all-terrain vehicles are used at work.
- Bill did not progress beyond initial introduction; status is lapsed.
Prohibition of Bogus Self-Employment Bill 2018
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Ruth Coppinger
- Penalizes employers who misclassify employees as self-employed contractors to avoid employment protections and obligations.
- Bans dismissing workers to force them into false self-employment contracts, with redress through workplace relations claims.
- Amends unfair dismissal and workplace relations laws to give bogus contract workers legal recourse and remedies.
Maternity Protection (Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas) Bill 2018
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Anne Rabbitte
- Provides maternity leave entitlements for female members of the Irish Parliament (Dáil and Seanad).
- Allows female TDs and senators to take leave during pregnancy and after childbirth without losing their seat.
- Bill lapsed before completion; did not become law. Specific leave duration and conditions were not finalised.
Arts (Dignity at Work) (Amendment) Bill 2018
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Peadar Tóibín
- Arts Council can make funding conditional on organisations complying with employment law.
- Amends the 2003 Arts Act to give Council enforcement powers over funded bodies.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; never became law. Specific compliance requirements not detailed.
Social Welfare (Payment Order) (Amendment) Bill 2018
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Willie O'Dea
- Extends Maintenance Recovery Unit's powers to seek court Payment Orders for jobseeker transitional payments to single parents.
- Allows State to recover costs from 'liable relatives' through District Court applications for these specific welfare payments.
- Bill lapsed; did not proceed beyond Second Stage debate.
Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed James Browne
- Adds 'mental health status' as a new protected ground in employment discrimination law, preventing employers from refusing jobs based on applicants' mental health.
- Adds 'mental health status' as a new protected ground in service provision law, preventing discrimination when accessing goods, facilities and services.
- Treats mental health status separately from disability under equality law, using human rights basis rather than restrictive medical definition of mental illness.
Maternity Protection (Local Government Members) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Anne Rabbitte
- Allows local government members to take full maternity leave, amending the Local Government Act 2001.
- Enables councillors and other local authority members to access maternity protections previously unavailable to them.
- Bill lapsed at First Stage; specific leave duration and benefits not detailed in available information.
Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed Jim O'Callaghan
- Adds 'disadvantaged socio-economic status' as a new protected ground in Employment Equality Act 1998, prohibiting employers from discriminating against job applicants based on their area or socio-economic background.
- Adds 'disadvantaged socio-economic status' as a new protected ground in Equal Status Act 2000, preventing service providers from discriminating against people based on where they live or their socio-economic background.
- Expands definitions of discriminatory grounds in both Acts to include the new socio-economic status ground alongside existing nine protected grounds.
Industrial Relations (Defence Forces) (Amendment) Bill 2017
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Ruth Coppinger
- Allows Defence Forces members to access Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court for workplace disputes.
- Removes restrictions preventing Defence Forces members from joining trade unions or their representative associations from affiliating with unions.
- Amends Industrial Relations Act 1990 and Defence (Amendment) Act 1990 to include Defence Forces in worker protections.
Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed Mary Butler
- Amends Employment Equality Act 1998 to remove mandatory retirement rules if employees can prove they meet job fitness requirements.
- Allows workers to continue employment beyond current retirement age by demonstrating capability to perform contracted duties.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage and lapsed without becoming law.
Employment Equality (Abolition of Mandatory Retirement Age) Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed John Brady
- Amends Employment Equality Act 1998 to remove mandatory retirement age requirements for employees.
- Allows workers to continue employment beyond current mandatory retirement thresholds unless employer has justified grounds.
- Bill lapsed in Oireachtas; did not progress beyond Second Stage to become law.
Companies (Amendment) Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 First Stage Lapsed David Cullinane
- Makes company officers personally liable for employment law breaches committed by their corporate body.
- Amends the Companies Act 2014 to impose individual accountability on officers acting for companies.
- Bill did not progress beyond First Stage and has lapsed without becoming law.
Banded Hours Contract Bill 2016
13 Feb 2020 Second Stage Lapsed David Cullinane
- Workers can request more hours; employers must consider requests and can only refuse for objective reasons.
- Employers must tell workers about total available hours in the workplace to improve transparency.
- Creates 'banded hours contracts' — employment agreements with defined hour ranges rather than fixed schedules.