Government Summer Legislation Programme: Priority Legislation relevant to the Healthcare Sector
The Government has published its Legislation Programme for the upcoming 13 week Summer session of Dáil Eireann. In this briefing, we highlight the legislation relevant to the healthcare sector which will be prioritised for publication and drafting. We also highlight legislation relevant to the sector for which preparation work is ongoing.
Priority legislation for publication
Pre-legislative scrutiny of the following bills is complete and the bills are expected to be prioritised for publication and progression in the forthcoming Summer session.
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill |
| Mental Health Bill | The purpose of the bill is to replace the Mental Health Act 2001 to give effect to recommendations of an Expert Group Review on mental health legislation. |
| Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to provide regulatory enhancements to the Health Act 2007 to enhance governance and oversight of nursing homes and other designated centres and to amend the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act 2009. |
| Health Information Bill | The purpose of this bill is to provide a robust legislative framework for the processing of health information to support a modern integrated health service. |
Priority legislation for drafting
The following bills of relevance to the Healthcare sector are expected to be a priority for drafting.
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill |
| Health (Amendment) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to amend the Health Act 2004. It aims to provide for changes to corporate and service planning processes amongst other provisions. It includes new requirements on the HSE Board and CEO with regards to appropriate systems, procedures, and practices to exercise the highest standards of prudent and effective financial and budgetary management and that proposals for corrective action are put in place where expenditure levels have been exceeded. The heads of the bill were approved in February 2021. |
| Health (Amendment) (Licensing of Professional Home Support Providers) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to provide a regulatory framework comprising of primary legislation for the licensing of home support providers, secondary legislation in the form of regulations, and HIQA national standards with the aim of ensuring that all service users are provided with high quality care. This is in line with Programme for Government and Sláintecare commitments. The heads of bill are currently being prepared. |
| Health (Amendment) (No.2) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to provide amendments necessary to revise existing section 55 charges (inpatient services for patients who do not establish entitlement to these services under section 52 of the Health Act 1970 (as amended)). The heads of bill are currently being prepared. |
| Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to provide for the regulation of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products such as e-cigarettes. Work is underway to prepare the heads of the bill. |
Bills undergoing preparatory work
Preparatory work is ongoing in respect of the bills, relevant to the healthcare sector, listed below.
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill |
| Northern Ireland (Planned Healthcare Scheme) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to introduce a statutory scheme enabling persons resident in the State to access and be reimbursed for private healthcare in Northern Ireland by the HSE, provided such healthcare is publicly available within Ireland. |
| Health (Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to extend eligibility for medical cards in cases of terminal illness. |
| Protection of Liberty Safeguards Bill | The purpose of the bill is to establish the process for authorising care arrangements where deprivation of liberty may occur, along with the requisite safeguards. |
| Health (Adult Safeguarding) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to underpin a planned national health sector policy on safeguarding vulnerable or at-risk adults in the context of their interactions with the health sector. |
| National Research Ethics Committee Bill | The purpose of this bill is to provide a legislative framework for National Research Ethics Committees (NRECs) operating in key areas of health research. |
| Health (Covid-19) Bill | The purpose of this bill is to mandate the wearing of face coverings in certain designated settings. |
Bills currently on the Dáil Order Paper
The following bills are currently on the Dáil Order Paperas of 16 April 2024:
| Title of Bill | Purpose of Bill |
| Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 | The purpose of this bill is to amend the Health Act 2004. It aims to provide for changes to corporate and service planning processes amongst other provisions. It includes new requirements on the HSE Board and CEO with regards to appropriate systems, procedures, and practices to exercise the highest standards of prudent and effective financial and budgetary management and that proposals for corrective action are put in place where expenditure levels have been exceeded. The heads of the bill were approved in February 2021. |
| Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 | The purpose of this bill is to provide a regulatory framework comprising of primary legislation for the licensing of home support providers, secondary legislation in the form of regulations, and HIQA national standards with the aim of ensuring that all service users are provided with high quality care. This is in line with Programme for Government and Sláintecare commitments. The heads of bill are currently being prepared. |
Please get in touch with any member of our market-leading Healthcare Group if you wish to discuss this
legislation programme or any other healthcare related matter.
We would like to thank Ruth Collins for her contribution to
this update.
This article contains a general summary of developments and is not a complete or definitive statement of the law. Specific legal advice should be obtained where appropriate.