Welcome to the Houses of the Oireachtas

Legislative Observatory 1992 - 2018

Detailed information is available online including the full text of all bills as initiated (including explanatory memoranda), as amended, and as passed by each or both houses; amendments tabled; Acts of the Oireachtas and official translations; and  links to debates on bills

New Bills

• Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2018 (Number 38 of 2018)
• National Infrastructure Bill 2018 (Number 37 of 2018)
• Markets in Financial Instruments Bill 2018 (Number 36 of 2018)
• Residential Tenancies (Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty) Bill 2018 [PMB] (Number 35 of 2018)
• Provision of Objective Sex Education Bill 2018 [PMB] (Number 34 of 2018)
• Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [PMB] (Number 33 of 2018)

Constituency dashboards

Constituency dashboards provide an interactive online visualisation of Census 2016 data for each Dáil constituency. They are a great way to get the information you need about your constituency.

Find out more about constituency dashboards

Latest Publications 

Infographics

Current Health Insurance Risk Equalisation System

L&RS InfoGraphics

Economic Indicators
The Economic Indicators are infographics which present some key indicators on the Irish economy, and are published each month by the L&RS.

‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Economic Indicators 2018

Economic Indicators 2017

‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌L&RS Notes Series

Explaining the outcome of rejected referendums‌

Published 23 February 2018
This L&RS Note draws on published research and survey data to identify the key factors which explain the majority ‘no vote’ in proposals for constitutional change which have been rejected by the electorate since 1986.

MiFID II – key provisions and implications

Published 15 February 2018
This L&RS Note examines some of the key provisions and implications of the EU’s second Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (‘MiFID II’). MiFID II is a package of EU reforms aimed at enhancing transparency in the bloc’s financial market system and improving consumer confidence in the industry generally.

L&RS Notes 2018

L&RS Notes 2017

Spotlights

Home Care for Older People – Seven Policy Challenges‌
No. 1 of 2018 (Published in January 2018)
The home is commonly considered the most desirable place for older people in need of care to receive it.  Due to population ageing and other demographic factors, the share of paid home care is growing. Currently, this developing sector is largely unregulated and lacks a national policy framework.  However, the Department of Health is undertaking a consultation to inform plans for “a new statutory scheme for home care services”.  This Spotlight provides an overview of the operation of the home care sector in Ireland and identifies a number of current policy and legislative challenges.

Post-enactment scrutiny (PeS) by Parliament‌
No.1 of 2017 (Published in December 2017)
This Spotlight uses expert literature on legislative scrutiny, and the experience of other parliaments, to outline the purpose and potential benefits of post-enactment scrutiny, parliament’s role in post-enactment scrutiny, the conditions under which it is most likely to be effective, and how best to approach post-enactment scrutiny both with respect to the process and the actual focus of a post-enactment review.

Spotlight 2013 - 2017

Research Matters                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Written for Members of the 32^nd Dail and 25^th Seanad, this is a collection of impartial briefings by the Oireachtas Library & Research Service on selected key topics. The topics chosen feature key challenges for Irish society in 2016, across a wide range of topics including:

• Housing and homelessness;                                                                                             

• Brexit and why it matters to Ireland;                                                                                    

• Corporation Tax;                                                                                                                

• Agriculture in Ireland;    

• Emergency department overcrowding – and many other topics.
  

Research Publications

Public Petitions

The Oireachtas Public Petitions System presents an important new avenue for individuals to participate in the democratic process. Through submitting petitions online and by post, members of the public will be able to take their policy concerns directly to the heart of the Oireachtas.

• Get involved and make a petition
• Log of submitted petitions