Government Chief Whip Jack Chambers TD has published the legislative programme which contains numerous Bills for publication and priority by Ministers in the autumn Oireachtas session.
The programme, which was approved by Cabinet on 15 September is published following extensive engagement and consultation in recent weeks with government departments, officials and the Attorney General.
The Bills are as follows:
Communications, Climate Action and Environment
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill | Status of Bill |
| Climate Action (Amendment) Bill | To amend the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 in line with governance proposals in the Climate Action Plan 2019 and legislative commitments in the Programme for Government | Heads approved on 17th December 2019, PLS to be determined |
| Gas (Amendment) Bill | To provide for amendments to various Gas Acts in respect of the separation of Irish Water from Ervia and restructuring of Ervia and GNI as a consequence | Draft Heads in preparation |
| Waste Management (Circular Economy) Bill | To implement legislation provisions in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular economy | Draft Heads in preparation |
Housing, Planning and Local Government
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill | Status of Bill |
| Affordable Housing Bill | To give legislative effect to the Government’s affordable housing policy | Heads in preparation |
| Heritage Bill | To amend the Planning and Development and Wildlife Acts to deal with Mulcreevy and other issues arising as a result of the transfer of Heritage functions to this Department | Heads in preparation |
| Land Development Agency Bill | To establish the Land Development Agency on a primary legislative footing | Revised heads in preparation, PLS has taken place |
| Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill | To introduce ‘use it or lose it’ provisions to facilitate speedier activation of planning permissions and delivery of housing supply and to provide further emergency powers to protect the integrity of the planning system, in the event of a need for further Covid-19 restrictions and potentially to address issues of substitute consent rising from a recent Supreme Court case | Heads in preparation |
| Emergency Management and Fire and Public Safety Bill | To underpin current established emergency management practice at national and local level, to consolidate and update the Fire Services Acts 1981 & 2003, to revise and enhance the legislative approach to safety at funfairs and to amend the legislation dealing with the licensing of indoor events | Heads in preparation |
| Housing and Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill | To provide for reform of judicial review provisions in the Planning and Development Act 2000 and certain other amendments to planning and housing legislation, including in relation to tenant purchase | Heads approved on 30th October 2019, PLS still to be determined |
| Monuments & Archaeological Heritage Bill | To replace and modernise the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 and related enactments going back to the 19th century, to establish a new Register of Monuments to replace multiple systems for monument protection and an integrated and streamlined licensing system for activities regulated under the bill | Work is continuing, PLS still to be determined |
| Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill | To provide for a risk-based approach to the regulation of abstractions and underpins the establishment of a national register of water abstractions greater than 25 cubic meters per day in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive | Revised heads in preparation, PLS still to be determined |
| Building Control (Construction Industry Register Ireland) Bill | To place Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI) on a statutory footing and thereby provide in law for the registration of builders, contractors and specialist sub-contractors | Heads approved on 30 May 2017, PLS has taken place |
| Housing and Residential Tenancies Bill | To strengthen the statutory framework for the enforcement of the overcrowding provisions of the Housing Act 1966 and to amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to further enhance tenancy protections, particularly during receivership, provide tenancies of indefinite duration and define a deposit | Heads in preparation |
| Wildlife (Amendment) Bill | To give effect to the proposed reconfiguration of the raised bog Natural Heritage Area network arising from the 2014 Review and to provide for a review of blanket bog Natural Heritage Areas and place a duty on public bodies to promote the conservation of biodiversity | Work is underway |
Transport, Tourism and Sport
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill | Status of Bill |
| Railway Safety (Amendment) Bill | To provide necessary statutory powers for the Railway Accident Investigation Unit (RAIU) | To provide necessary statutory powers for the Railway Accident Investigation Unit (RAIU) |
| Railway Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill | To provide for necessary amendments and updating of the Railway Safety Act 2005 | Work is underway |
| Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill | To provide for a variety of road safety-related matters including the Motor Third Party Liability Database, Master Licence Record, traffic management on the M50 and others | Heads approved 18th December 2018 & 21st November 2019, PLS still to be determined |
| Public Transport (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill | o provide for technical amendments to a number of Acts in order to enable the delivery of BusConnects | Heads expected shortly |
| Large Public Service Vehicle Reform Bill | To streamline the procedure for the LPSV licensing framework and to eliminate overlap and duplication within the current LPSV licensing regime | Preliminary work is underway |
| Road Safety Authority (Amendment) Bill | To amend the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 to update existing and add new provisions | Preliminary work underway |
| Vehicle Roadworthiness Bill | To consolidate the National Car Test (NCT) and Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Test (CVRT) into a single instrument | Work is underway |
Business, Enterprise & Innovation
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill | Status of Bill |
| Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill | To consolidate the Employment Permits Acts, and to make certain amendments to modernise the employment permits system and increase its responsiveness | Heads approved 25th July 2019, PLS still to be determined |
| Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Bill | To amend the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003 in light of the impact of COVID-19 | Heads in preparation |
Health
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill | Status of Bill |
| Health Act 1947 (Amendment) Bill | To amend the Health Act 1947 to provide for a more tiered set of penalties than currently provided for under Section 31A of that Act for Covid-19 issues | Heads in preparation |
| Mental Health (Amendment) Bill | To amend the Mental Health Act 2001 to give effect to recommendations of an Expert Group Review on mental health legislation | Final Heads in preparation |
| Public Health (Calorie Posting and Workplace Wellbeing) Bill | To require food premises to display calories on menus and to require all public sector employers to have and to report on a Health and Wellbeing policy | Preparatory work is underway |
Public Expenditure and Reform
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill | Status of Bill |
| Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill | To provide amendments to the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to transpose the EU Whistleblowing Directive | Heads in preparation, PLS still to be determined |
Justice and Equality
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill | Status of Bill |
| Adoptive Leave (Amendment) Bill | To amend the Adoptive Leave Act 1995 to provide for adoptive leave and benefit for male same sex adoptive couples | Heads approved on 22nd October 2019, PLS still to be determined |
| Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill | To amend the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 | Heads in preparation |
| Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill | To ensure implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | Revised heads in preparation |
| Explosives Bill | To repeal the Explosives Act 1875 and replace it with a modern statutory framework for the control of the manufacture, storage, importation, transport and supply of explosives | Heads approved, PLS still to be determined |
| Parent’s Leave and Benefit (Amendment) Bill | To amend the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 to extend the period of parent’s leave and benefit and the period in which the leave can be taken | Heads in preparation |
| Personal Insolvency (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill | To update aspects of personal insolvency legislation, following statutory review of Personal Insolvency Acts | Work is underway |
Notes:
Heads in Preparation = Before a Bill is finalised, a general scheme of the Bill is published, and this is called the heads of the Bill.
PLS = Pre-legislative scrutiny
Source: Government Press Office