Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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152. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide a list of general schemes referred by her Department to an Oireachtas committee for pre-legislative scrutiny from 1 January 2016 to date; the date each was referred; the date that the general scheme was published for the public to review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42957/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government approved an expansion and reinforcement of the arrangements for pre-legislative scrutiny in September 2013. A number of new Standing Orders to underpin these new arrangements came into effect on 5 November 2013.

In order to clarify the operation of these new Standing Orders, an Agreed Protocol for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the Heads of Bills by Oireachtas Committees was published in September 2014. This Agreed Protocol provides that certain Bills are exempted from the requirements for pre-legislative scrutiny, including Bills which are required to implement Budget changes such as the Finance Bill and the Social Welfare (Budget) Bill, “emergency” Bills and Bills that were at an advanced stage of drafting at the time the Standing Orders were adopted. For example, the Social Welfare Bills enacting amendments arising from the various Budgets and the Social Welfare (COVID-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020 (Bill No. 14 of 2020) which was an emergency bill were exempt from pre-legislative scrutiny.

A list of a list of general schemes referred for pre-legislative scrutiny from 1 January 2016 from the Department of Social Protection to date is set out in the table below (in reverse chronological order):

Bills Initiated by Minister for Social Protection which have received Pre-Legislative Scrutiny