Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 January 2015
116. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form the number, name and date of Bills initiated in her Department that have been subject to the pre-legislative scrutiny procedure in the Oireachtas. [1820/15]
View answerThe Government approved an expansion and reinforcement of the arrangements for pre-legislative scrutiny in September 2013. A number of new Standing Orders were adopted by the Dáil on 17 October 2013 in order to underpin these new arrangements and these Standing Orders 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 Bill, “emergency” Bills and Bills that were at an advanced stage of drafting at the time the Standing Orders were adopted.
The Heads of the Gender Recognition Bill were referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection for pre-legislative scrutiny in July 2013 and, following consideration of these Heads of Bill, the Joint Committee issued its report on 16 January 2014.
A number of other Bills which I have initiated since September 2013 fall into the categories of Bills exempted under the Agreed Protocol from the requirements for pre-legislative scrutiny, for example, the Social Welfare Bills enacting amendments arising from Budgets 2014 and 2015 and the Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014 which was at an advanced stage of drafting at the time the Standing Orders came into effect.
The details requested by the Deputy are set out in the following table.
Bills Initiated by Minister for Social Protection which have received Pre-Legislative Scrutiny
|
Title of Bill |
Date Heads of Bill referred to Committee for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny |
Date of Initiation of Bill |
Status |
|
Gender Recognition Bill 2014 (No. 116 of 2014) |
July 2013 |
17th December 2014 |
Scheduled for Second Stage in the Seanad on 21st January 2015 |
