Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently prioritising two pieces of legislation, the Research and Innovation Bill and the Construction Safety Licensing Bill 2023.

As part of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy, the Government has approved the creation of a new statutory research funding agency “Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland”, under the aegis of my Department. This will be driven by way of the new Research and Innovation Bill. It will involve amalgamating the functions and activities of the Irish Research Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) in this new body under the aegis of my Department.

The General Scheme of the Bill was approved by Government on 5th April 2023. A Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Report was published by the Joint Oireachtas Committee in July last, and has been carefully considered in the drafting process. The Department responded in writing to the Committee on the 28th of December.

The Research and Innovation Bill was published on January 8th 2024 and is progressing through the houses.

Turning now to the Construction Safety Licensing Bill 2023 - the purpose of this Bill is to provide a new and comprehensive framework for the licensing of construction, quarrying and related activities in Ireland. A single body will be designated as the licensing authority for the sector. The objective is to improve health and safety practices in construction and quarrying with the intention of reducing workplace accidents, work related injuries and fatalities.

The General Scheme of the Bill was approved on 27th September 2022 and published on 6th October 2022. The Construction Safety Licensing Bill was initiated in the Dáil and published on 24th March 2023, with Second Stage taking place on 3rd May 2023. Committee Stage then took place on 27th June 2023, and I look forward to taking the Bill to Report Stage in the coming months.