The priority legislation for publication this session includes:

• The Mediation Bill is included in the Government’s Legislative Programme as Priority Legislation for Publication in this Dáil session. It will promote mediation as a viable, effective and efficien alternation to court proceedings
• The Disability / Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will allow ratification of the UN Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities and will make further technical amendments to disability and equality legislation
• The Data Sharing and Governance Bill will  mandate greater data-sharing and data-linking in the public service, to provide a legal mechanism to facilitate lawful data-sharing and data-linking for all public bodies, and to define standards for data governance and security to be followed in any data sharing-or data-linking activities
  
  

Bills that are expected to undergo Pre-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS) This Session (Autumn 2016):

• The Judicial Appointments Bill will replace the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board with a new Judicial Appointment Commission
• Judicial Council Bill will promote excellence in the exercise by judges of their judicial functions and will provide effective remedies for complaints about judicial misconduct including lay participation in the investigation of complaints
  
  

Other Legislation:

• Health & Wellbeing (Calorie Posting and Workplace Wellbeing) Bill will require food premises to display calories on menus and to require all public sector employers to have and to report on a Health and Wellbeing policy (Heads of Bill are currently being drafted)
• Protections for workers on insecure, low hour contracts - the government will implement the policy response to the University of Limerick (UL) Study on Zero Hour Contracts and Low Hour Contracts (Proposals expected late 2016)
• Data Protection Bill will transpose the EU Directive 2016/680 and give full effect to the Regulation 2016/679 (Heads of Bill expected by end 2016)
• Family Leave Bill will consolidate amendments to all family leave legislation (Work is underway)
• Public Service Management (Amendment) and Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill will allow greater devolution of management and disciplinary functions Work is underway
  
  

To read the full autumn legislative programme click here