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Three justice bills on spring legislation list

Ministers are aiming to publish or draft 38 bills in the forthcoming Oireachtas session, according to the legislative programme for spring published today (18 January).

Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton published the list of bills after approval by Cabinet, and consultation with Government departments, officials, and the Attorney General’s office.

The list includes three bills from the Department of Justice – including the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill, which will criminalise adults who induce or groom children into committing offences.

This received Government approval for publication today.

Action on housing pledged

The Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill will provide for amendments to sexual-offences legislation arising from recommendations made by the O'Malley review and the Law Reform Commission.

Also in the justice area, the Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill will provide for statutory compensation for breach of article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which deals with the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time.

Minister Naughton said that protecting the “squeezed middle” during the cost-of-living crisis, and taking further action on housing, were among the main aims of legislation planned for the session.

“In housing, we will prioritise the Planning & Development Bill and the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill to ensure the continued delivery of housing,” she added.

Ban on e-cigarettes for minors

As minister with special responsibility for public health, she said that she would “shortly” publish the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill, which will introduce a ban on the sale of nicotine-inhaling products, such as e-cigarettes, to and by minors.

The Health (Abolition of Public Inpatient Charges) Bill to scrap in-patient charges for patients in public hospitals will also be published, while the Government says that it will prioritise the Health (Termination of Services Safe Access Zones) Bill.

Minister Naughton added that the Government was prioritising the drafting and publication of legislation that would allow the introduction of an automatic-enrolment retirement-savings system.