Nine justice bills on summer priority list
Nine justice bills are among 38 listed for priority publication in the Government’s legislative programme for the coming summer parliamentary session.
A further five justice bills are among 26 listed for priority drafting in the programme, which the Cabinet approved today (14 April).
The Government says that another 25 pieces of legislation are currently at various stages before the Dáil, Seanad, and in committee.
These include the Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026, which began its passage in the Dáil today. The legislation creates new fast-track approval processes for projects designated as ‘critical infrastructure’.
Dublin Airport capacity
The justice bills earmarked for publication are:
- Criminal Justice (International Cooperation Office) Bill, which sets up a new criminal-justice entity to fulfil Ireland’s obligations under the EU’s e-Evidence Regulation,
- Criminal Justice (Protection, Preservation of and Access to Data on Information Systems) Bill, to give effect to a number of the provisions of the Budapest Convention on cybercrime and the EU e-Evidence Regulation,
- Criminal Justice (Violation of Restrictive Measures) Bill, which transposes an EU directive on the definition of criminal offences,
- Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill, to remove guardianship rights from those convicted of killing their partners or a parent of their child,
- Inspection of Places of Detention Bill, the enactment of which will enable ratification of the UN Optional Protocol on the Convention of Torture,
- National Cyber Security Bill,
- Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill,
- Criminal Justice (Domestic Violence Register) Bill, which will provide for a Domestic Violence Register, and
- Certain State Development Bill, to enable a minister to regularise the planning status and/or development works at State sites at which development has taken place.
Among other bills prioritised for publication are the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill, the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, and the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence and Non-Personal Data Bill, which includes the establishment of a national AI central office.
Justice legislation listed for priority drafting includes the Civil Reform Bill, the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Bill to transpose certain elements of an EU directive on the issue, and a bill that makes changes to process for the review of Personal Injuries Guidelines.