Ban on sale of e-cigarettes to minors included in Government’s new legislative programme

New restrictions on vaping and e-cigarettes, tough new measures on human trafficking and the criminalisation of adults who groom children into committing offences are among the new Bills which the Government proposes to publish during the spring session of the Dáil.

Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton has published a list of 21 Bills which the Government hopes to publish before Easter.

Among the other legislation is the Registration of Short-Term Tourist Letting Bill 2022. It will require all those who do holiday lets and short-term lets of houses and apartments to register with Fáilte Ireland. The Government says this is “with a view to ensuring that houses are used to best effect in areas of housing need”.

Another substantial Bill is the Automatic Enrolment Retirements Saving System Bill which is the long-awaited scheme for those with no pension provision to join a Government-backed plan. However, it is not certain if this will be published before Easter as pre-legislative scrutiny has yet to be completed.

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Some of the Bills have already been flagged by Ministers including the Bill to allow a mayoral election in Limerick; the legislation that ensures safe access to premises where abortion procedures take place; and the Bill which will aim to prevent criminal networks from exploiting young people to commit offences.

Fees are also being abolished for inpatients in public hospitals, under proposed changes in another Department of Health Bill being published during this Dáil session.

It is Ms Naughton’s first legislative programme since assuming the role of Chief Whip in December. She is also the Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy.

Referring to the Bill regulating vaping and e-cigarette, she said: “This is an important piece of legislation which will introduce a ban on the sale of nicotine inhaling products, such as e-cigarettes, to and by minors.”

Almost half of the Bills on the spring list are carry-overs from the autumn, including the Bill on e-cigarettes and the legislation creating safe zones around facilities providing termination of pregnancy services.

The Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill is also on the list for a second time, as is the Veterinary Medical Products Bill. The Licences of Construction Activity Bill is another from the previous list, as is the Bill to allow for a directly elected mayor in Limerick.

Last autumn’s legislative programme was one of the largest in recent years, with a total of 38 Bills.