Government struggling to meet new legislation targets

The Government has continued to struggle in meeting its own targets to publish new legislation.

The latest legislative programme, released on Tuesday by Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe, shows that 13 of the 34 priority Bills for this autumn already appeared on the list published in January this year. Some of the Bills have been on the A list for well over a year.

In addition, three of the Bills due to be published before Christmas are standard post-Budget Bills: the Finance Bill, Social Protection Bill and the Appropriations Bills.

It means only a little over half of the Bills on the priority list are new Bills.

The Coalition promised it would improve its performance in meeting its legislative programme targets compared to previous governments. However, that improvement has not materialised in a meaningful way.

None of the 34 Bills contained on the A list are substantial or very complex pieces of legislation, reflecting a Government reaching the last few months of its term.

Legislative record

In setting out the details of the programme, Mr Kehoe focused on the Government’s legislative record in its four and half years in power.

“Since March 2011, this Government has published 233 Bills and enacted 220 Acts,” he said. That comprises about 50 Bills per annum, which is a little above average compared to previous governments.

However, some of the reforms promised by Government now look like they will not materialise.

The main one is an undertaking by Taoiseach Enda Kenny that he would give legislative effect to the Constitutional amendment passed by referendum in 1979 to extend the franchise of University Senate seats beyond TCD and NUI colleges.

Not drafted

However, the Bill to give effect to it has not yet been drafted and is on the C list. It is unlikely to be published or passed ahead of the general election, which increasingly looks like it will take place in the spring.

The carry-over Bills included in this autumn’s A list include the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill; the Technological Universities Bill; and the Planning and Development (No 2) Bill, which gives effect to the findings of the Mahon Tribunal. This piece of proposed legislation has been on the Bill schedule for some time.

There are three important Bills under the aegis of the Department of Justice that have been on the priority list since January at least. They are the Corruption Bill, the Sex Offences Bill and the Judicial Council Bill. The latter has long been promised.

There are a number of important Bills proposed in the adoption and childcare areas.

These include the Adoption Bill, which will give the Courts power to dispense with parental consent in instances where parents have continuously failed in their duty for more than 36 months.

There is also a Bill that will allow for the establishment of information and tracing services for adopted children, or parents who gave their children up for adoption.