Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 September 2023
103. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Bills prepared by his Department in the 33rd Dáil to date; the number and title of those Bills that included a Regulatory Impact Assessment; the title of the RIAs published by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41590/23]
View answerTwo Bills were prepared by my Department in the 33rd Dáil to date.
The Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union Consequential Provisions Act 2020 (no. 23 of 2020) was enacted on 10 December 2020.
The Act consists of 22 Parts under the remits of Ministers responsible for 11 different Government Departments, 20 of which have been commenced. While no formal Regulatory Impact Assessment was conducted, the Memorandum for Government approving the General Scheme of the Act included a section on Regulatory Impact Assessment as provided for in the Cabinet Handbook in cases where a formal Regulatory Impact Assessment is not conducted.
The Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2021 (no. 28 of 2021) was prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs with the advice of the Attorney General and in consultation with other Departments, and enacted on 22 July 2021.
The Act consolidates existing legislation but does not introduce any new regulatory requirements. It also makes further and more detailed provision in domestic law for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which the State ratified in 1996. In these circumstances it was not necessary to conduct a Regulatory Impact Assessment.
