Government Chief Whip, Minister Hildegarde Naughton, publishes Summer Legislative Programme

Government Chief Whip, Minister Hildegarde Naughton, has today published the Summer Legislative Programme containing 39 bills for publication and priority drafting by Ministers in the forthcoming Oireachtas session.

The Summer Legislative Programme has today (Wednesday) been published following Cabinet approval on foot of extensive engagement and consultation between the Chief Whip and government departments, officials and the Office of the Attorney General.

Government Chief Whip, Minister Hildegarde Naughton said:

“The Summer Legislative Programme will see the publication and priority drafting of many important pieces of legislation in areas such as safe access zones, automatic enrolment, windfall gains in the energy sector, gender equality, gender-based violence and housing. Our aim in delivering on the Summer Legislative Programme is to continue to provide stability in a time of continued uncertainty. This Programme will build upon support provided for families, businesses and pensioners whilst also ensuring the continued delivery of the Programme for Government.”

Speaking to just some of the Bills listed for publication before the Summer Recess, Minister Naughton said:

“This term the Department of Health, through the Safe Access Zones Bill, will be putting a particular focus on finalising legislation to ensure safe access to premises at which termination of pregnancy services may be provided. Separately, I look forward to publishing the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill in the very near future which will ban the sale of e-cigarettes to children.

“The Minister for Social Protection will build upon the advanced work achieved to date to enable provisions for the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings system. I look forward to seeing this legislation published upon conclusion of Pre-Legislative Scrutiny which is currently ongoing. Last month, Cabinet approved the Heads of Bill for the Energy (Windfall Gains in Energy Sector) Bill 2023. The Minister and department continue to work on this important piece of legislation which will include a cap on the market revenues of some generators such as wind, solar and oil in the electricity sector and which will apply for the period December 2022 to June 2023 as set out in the Council Regulation. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth recently convened an inter-departmental committee with a view to ultimately agreeing the wording of a referendum that would enshrine gender equality in our constitution and remove the outmoded reference to ‘women in the home’.”

Continuing, Minister Naughton added:

“This term will also see the publication of the Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Agency Bill by the Department of Justice. This bill will establish an agency with responsibility for coordinating government actions to tackle Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, including the delivery of services to victims and increasing the availability of emergency accommodation. Separately, work is underway in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the Residential Tenancies (Right to Purchase) Bill 2023 which will allow tenants in rental properties a first right of refusal to purchase a property when it is put forward for sale.”

Work will continue on the development, drafting and progression through the House of all other bills and not just those on the priority list.