Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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123. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of Bills prepared by his Department in the 33rd Dáil to date; the number and title of those Bills that included a Regulatory Impact Assessment; the title of the RIAs published by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41585/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Bills from my Department are drafted by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel on foot of a general scheme prepared by the Department which has been approved by Government.

Since the commencement of the 33rd Dáil to-date my Department has published one Bill entitled the ‘Civil Defence Bill 2023’. The Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) associated with this Bill was entitled 'Civil Defence Bill 2022 - Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA)'. The Civil Defence Act 2023 was signed by the President on the 26th June 2023.

Two other Bills published prior to the commencement of the 33rd Dáil, were also enacted during the 33rd Dáil, namely the Defence (Amendment) Act 2021 and the Defence Forces (Forensic Evidence) Act 2022. As the legislation in both cases focuses on the Defence Forces only and does not apply to the ordinary citizen or to business generally it was considered that formal RIA's were not required. Notwithstanding this, my Department applies the principles set out in the RIA Guidelines issued by the Department of the Taoiseach where appropriate.

My Department is currently progressing the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023.