The Seanad Éireann, Ireland’s Upper House, is set to gather next week for a three-day session to discuss and advance two significant bills proposed by the government ahead of the summer break. Whereas, the Lower House concluded its summer break last Thursday evening. The discussion, lasting from Monday through Wednesday next week, will feature the comprehensive Planning and Development Bill 2023 and the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law Bill 2024.
There’s a high likelihood that both bills will face a guillotine before Wednesday’s 5.30pm adjournment. These legislations are part of an extensive array of bills that were introduced to the Dáil recently during its final sitting week. The Opposition recognises this as a signal that the state is preparing for a possible autumn election.
The Planning Bill, an extensive document with 590 sections and 25 parts, aims to optimise the planning process. It has undergone lengthy discussions in the committee over several months, particularly concerning its proposal to elevate the required threshold for making submissions, especially to the judiciary.
Notwithstanding the existence of 500 amendments that were not addressed, the Planning Bill was guillotined in the Dáil last month. The Courts Bill, on the other hand, will empower the government to declare the United Kingdom a safe third country. This adjustments come in the wake of a High Court ruling in March that declared the designation of the UK as a safe third country as unlawful, hindering the government’s ability to return asylum seekers who arrived from the UK.
The coalition government has been actively securing Oireachtas approval for significant policies for its three parties in recent weeks. This includes backing the EU Nature Restoration Law and a vote to engage in all seven aspects of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact. Nevertheless, several key laws for this coalition must be done and dusted through the Oireachtas in early autumn to be authorised before the government might announce a general election.
The proposed Gambling Regulation Bill 2022, which is in the pipeline to establish a new Gambling Regulatory Authority, also endeavours to impose rigid new laws relating to gambling and its promotion. After navigating all levels of the Dáil, it now awaits completion in the Seanad.
The notion of scrapping the dual university panels within Seanad Éireann and replacing them with a single panel open to votes from all tertiary graduates seems less likely to be implemented if an impromptu election occurs.
This proposal was amongst the 28 Bills Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton prioritised for publication in the summer session. However, the bill is still yet to be announced. Only 11 out of the identified 28 had been published as the Dáil closed the session.
Several significant bills were passed during the session, aligning with the Government’s legislative agenda. These included the long-anticipated Auto Enrolment Retirement Savings Plan Bill 2024 targeting individuals without private pensions. Likewise, bills giving statutory support to two new rainy-day funds, the Future Ireland Fund and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund, have been passed. Other enacted bills include those establishing safe zones around abortion facilities; the introduction of new offences for involving minors in criminal activities; and the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill that provides a legal framework for surrogacy for the first time.