Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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There are fourteen bills on my Departments legislative programme, of which two are on the priority for publication list and four are on the priority for drafting list.

The Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill and the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill are on the priority for publication list while the Mental Health Bill; the Health Information Bill; the Health (Amendment) (Licensing of Professional Home Support Providers) Bill; and the Health (Amendment) Bill are on the priority for drafting list.

In terms of the current status for priority for publication bills, the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, which aims to provide regulatory enhancements to the Health Act 2007 to enhance governance and oversight of nursing homes and other designated centres, is expected to be drafted and published during the spring legislative session.

The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 seeks to provide for an exemption of Rent a Room income from the medical card assessment process and amendments to the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995. This bill is currently at Second Stage in the Dáil.

In terms of the current status of the priority for drafting bills, the Mental Health Bill, which aims to update and replace the Mental Health Act 2001 to give effect to recommendations of an Expert Group Review on mental health legislation is expected to make significant progress in drafting during this session with a view to it being published during the summer session.

The Health Information Bill seeks to provide a robust legislative framework for the processing of health information to support a modern integrated health service. Drafting of the bill will be progressed further during this session.

The purpose of the Health (Amendment) (Licensing of Professional Home Support Providers) Bill is to provide a regulatory framework comprising of primary legislation for the licensing of home support providers, secondary legislation in the form of regulations, and HIQA national standards with the aim of ensuring that all service users are provided with high quality care. The General Scheme has been finalised and once it is approved by Cabinet, pre-legislative scrutiny can take place and the drafting of the bill by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel can commence.

The Health (Amendment) Bill 2022 aims to amend the Health Act 2004 to provide for changes to corporate and service planning processes amongst other provisions. It includes new requirements on the HSE Board and CEO in regard to appropriate systems, procedures and practices to exercise the highest standards of prudent and effective financial and budgetary management and that proposals for corrective action are put in place where expenditure levels have been exceeded. The drafting of this bill is ongoing.

There are eight bills that have not yet been included on the priority for publication or the priority for drafting list but work is ongoing to bring them to a stage where they can be included on those lists.

In addition to the bills that are in development, there are also two bills that are currently making their way through the Houses of the Oireachtas (the Health (Termination of Pregnancy (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022 and the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022) and one which has recently passed both houses and is awaiting signature by the President (the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination, and Public Display) Bill).

The purpose of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022 is to ensure safe access to termination of pregnancy services for women, service providers and their staff throughout the country. This bill has now passed all stages in Dáil Éireann and Committee stage in Seanad Éireann took place on 27th February.

The Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 is also before the Oireachtas and the focus of this Bill is on the regulation, for the first time in this country, of a wide range of assisted human reproduction (AHR) practices undertaken within the jurisdiction. Cabinet recently agreed a proposal for Committee stage amendments in respect of the regulation of international surrogacy agreements and the recognition of certain past surrogacy arrangements and these will now be considered by the Select Committee on Health. Committee Stage for this bill commenced on 24th January 2024.

Finally, the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination, and Public Display) Bill, which will deal with organ donation and transplantation; post-mortem practices and procedures; anatomical examination and the public display of bodies after death, has now passed through both Houses and is awaiting the signature of the President.