James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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35. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the legislative priorities for his Department for 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21754/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Spring Legislative Programme was agreed by Government and published on the 18 February 2025. The Summer Legislative Programme has yet to be published. Of the 50 bills included for priority publication and drafting in the Spring Session, my Department is responsible for 5.

The following three Bills are included in the approved programme for priority publication in the Spring Session –

• The Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025, which will introduce measures that allow, but do not compel, an employee to stay in employment until the state pension age;
• The Copyright and Related Rights (Amendment) Bill 2024, which encompasses the necessary amendments to the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 addressing the matter of equitable remuneration as contained in a judgement delivered in September 2020 by the Court of Justice of the European Union and a subsequent High Court judgement, delivered in February 2021; and
• The Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Amendment ) Bill which updates the legislation governing the protection of employees during their employers’ insolvency. It will incorporate technical amendment to improve the operation of the Act as well as addressing a relevant Supreme Court Judgement.

• The Data Bill 2025 will put in place the domestic legislative underpinning for enforcement of the EU Data Act. Its overarching purpose is to support innovation and economic growth by creating a harmonised framework on fair access and use of data and providing clarification on who can create value from data, and under which conditions; and
• The Co-operative Societies Bill which aims to place the co-operative model on a more favourable and clearer legal basis, thereby creating a level playing field with companies and encouraging the consideration of the cooperative model as an attractive formation option for entrepreneurs.