Written answers

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Department of An Taoiseach

Legislative Process

Photo of Robert DowdsRobert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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215. To ask the Taoiseach the number of Private Members' Bills that have been passed since this Dáil was elected in 2011. [18136/15]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government outlined an ambitious agenda for Oireachtas reform to be introduced in a phased process over the lifetime of this Government.

One aspect of this planned reform was the introduction of new procedures to enhance the legislative role of elected members. This included such steps as the introduction of a Pre-Legislative Stage for Bills before an Oireachtas Committee, so that members can review the Heads of a Bill and issue a Report before the Bill is published, and the introduction of a system of dedicated Dáil time to enable TDs to play a fuller role in the legislative process by introducing their own Bills and having those Bills debated on the floor of the Dáil.

These sittings, on a Friday, were introduced in 2011 for one sitting day a month to debate a single Private Member's Bill and had to be expanded in 2013. so that the Dáil now sits every second Friday during term. The Dáil debates two Private Member's Bills on the first such Friday and one Private Member's Bill and an Oireachtas Committee Report on the second.

This has encouraged a rapid growth in the number of members introducing their own Bills, from 14 Private Member's Bills published by members in 2010 to 53 published in 2014.

A total of 28 Private Member Bill's have passed Second Stage in the Dáil since the current Dáil was elected in 2011. A total of 19 Seanad Private Member's Bills have passed Second Stage.

Among the Bills that have been passed at Second Stage in the Seanad and the Dáil some have been enacted either under their own title or merged with another Bill, or have been withdrawn in favour of a Bill introduced on the issue by the relevant Minister.

The Construction Contractors Act 2013 and the Protection of Children's Health (Tobacco Smoke in Mechanically Propelled Vehicles) Act 2014 both started as Private Member's Bills.

The Advanced Health Care Decision Bill 2012 was a Private Member's Bill which passed Second Stage and was sent to Committee. This Bill was incorporated into the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Bill 2013, which is currently before the Oireachtas Justice Committee.

The Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2011 was a Private Member's Bill to put in place a system to designate bodies which may register members to solemnise marriages and was passed in the Seanad. It was influential in the enactment the following year of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2012

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