Proposed Legislation

Wednesday, 4 October 2023

Questions (166)

Denis Naughten

Question:

166. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice to provide a list of general schemes referred by her Department to an Oireachtas committee for pre-legislative scrutiny from 1 January 2016 to date; the date each was referred; the date that the general scheme was published for the public to review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42954/23]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice

It has not been possible to collate the information in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly when the information is to hand.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51.

I refer to your Parliamentary Question No. 166 which was for answer on 3 October 2023 and which asked: “To ask the Minister for Justice to provide a list of general schemes referred by her Department to an Oireachtas Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny from 1 January 2016 to date; the date each was referred; the date that the general scheme was published for the public to review; and if she will make a statement on the matter.”

You will recall that at the time, I undertook to seek the information requested and revert to you. With sincere apologies for the very lengthy delay in issuing a further response, the information requested is provided below.

There were forty-four general schemes of Bills referred to an Oireachtas Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS) by my Department during the period in question. A request to waive PLS was made in respect of two further Bills.

Details of these Bills are set out in the table below.

General Scheme Name	Publication Date	Date Referred for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny
Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Decisions on Supervision Measures) Act 2020	30/05/2014	10/09/2018
Summons Printing and Fixed Charge Notice Bill	01/06/2016	29/06/2016
Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Bill 2017	26/01/2017	12/01/2017
Data Protection Bill 2017	01/05/2017	01/05/2017
Garda Síochána (Compensation) Bill 2017	05/05/2017	12/05/2017
Data Protection Bill 2017	12/05/2017	16/05/2017
Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2020	05/07/2017	29/11/2018
Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2017	03/10/2017	01/10/2017
Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Bill 2019	22/11/2017	22/11/2017
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Amendment Bill 2018	06/03/2018	04/05/2018
Criminal Justice (Istanbul Convention) Bill 2018	01/05/2018	11/05/2018
Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2018	06/06/2018	28/11/2018
European Convention on Human Rights (compensation for delays in court proceedings) Bill 2018	01/09/2018	03/10/2018
Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions (Amendment) Bill 2018	06/11/2018	01/11/2018
Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Bill 2019	01/01/2019	01/01/2019
Courts (Establishment and Constitution) (Amendment)	01/01/2019	31/01/2019
Transfer of Sentenced Persons (Amendment) Bill 2019	19/02/2019	01/02/2019*
Family Law Bill 2019	11/07/2019	16/07/2019
Counterfeiting Bill 2019	29/07/2019	01/08/2019
Criminal Justice (Repeal of certain provisions of the Firearms and Misuse of Drugs Acts) Bill 2020	01/05/2020	01/12/2020
Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2020	21/07/2020	04/12/2020
Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2020	27/07/2020	05/01/2021
Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020	08/09/2020	22/01/2021
Family Courts Bill 2022	30/09/2020	16/10/2020
Judicial Appointments Commission Bill	01/12/2020	16/12/2020
Criminal Justice (Exploitation of Children in the Commission of Offences) Bill 2021	15/01/2021	26/01/2021
Criminal Justice Terrorist Offences (Amendment) Bill 2020	22/01/2021	22/01/2021
Criminal Justice (Garda Síochána Operating Model) Bill 2021	23/03/2021	31/03/2021
Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2021	16/04/2021	26/04/2021
Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2021	27/04/2021	27/04/2021
Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021	29/04/2021	27/04/2021
Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022	29/04/2021	28/04/2021
Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021	08/06/2021	16/06/2021
Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill	14/06/2021	30/06/2021
European Convention on Human Rights (Delay in Court Proceedings) Bill 2021 (Revised General Scheme) 2021	01/07/2021	01/07/2021
European Arrest Warrant (Amendment) Bill 2022	21/07/2021	Not applicable**
Gambling Regulation Bill	21/10/2021	29/10/2021
Communications (Retention of Data)(Amendment) Bill 2022	21/06/2022	Not applicable***
Inspection of Places of Detention Bill 2022	24/06/2022	12/07/2022
Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2022	27/07/2022	06/09/2022
Sale of Alcohol Bill	25/10/2022	27/10/2022
Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Agency Bill 2023	06/03/2023	01/03/2023
Defamation (Amendment) Bill	28/03/2023	31/03/2023
Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Bill	01/07/2023	19/07/2023
Irish Prison Service Bill 2023	04/08/2023	04/08/2023
Courts Bill	General Scheme not published.	09/03/2023

* Bill was not progressed as titled. The amendments were included in the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021, which was enacted on 1 March 2023 as the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Act 2023 and commenced in full on 3 May 2023.

** The Minister requested a waiver of PLS on 8 August 2021. The Committee subsequently agreed to undertake PLS by requesting an oral briefing from Departmental Officials on this matter, which took place on 22 September 2021.

*** The Minister applied for a waiver of PLS on 21 June 2022 from the Justice Committee on the basis of urgency. Subsequently, the Committee decided to hold a scrutiny meeting and this took place on 27 June 2022.

I hope this information is of assistance,