Bill

Purpose

Status

Data-Sharing and Governance Bill

To create a general legal framework setting for public service bodies to share data, while respecting the Data Protection Acts, to specify transparency and governance measures to be applied and to create confidence to act, while respecting the constraints on processing of personal data.

Heads of bill approved July 2015; pre-legislative scrutiny in Autumn 2016

Criminal Justice (Offences Relating to Information Systems) Bill 2016

To give effect to provisions of EU Directive 2013/40 on attacks against information systems. The Bill amends the Criminal Damage Act 1991, the Bail Act 1997 and the Criminal Justice Act 2011.

Order for Second Stage (Dáil)

Amendment of the Constitution (Unified Patent Court) Bill

To amend Article 29 of the Constitution to recognise the International Agreement on a Unified Patent Court.

Referendum is included in the Programme for Government

Digital Hub Development Agency (Dissolution) Bill

To dissolve the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA), repeal the DHDA Act 2003, and to give effect to the merger between the DHDA and Dublin City Council.

Heads of bill expected in July 2016

Copyright and Related Rights (and Miscellaneous Intellectual Property Matters) (Amendment) Bill

To implement certain recommendations of the Copyright Review Committee to modernise Irish copyright law with some other ancillary necessary legislative changes to copyright.

Heads of bill expected in June 2016

Hallmarking (Amendment) Bill

To amend the Hallmarking Act 1981 to allow for hallmarking of palladium and mixed metals, and to allow offsite/off-shore marking of precious metals by the Irish Assay Office.

Heads of bill approved on 17 September 2014. Expected publication: July 2016.

Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill

To create a certification scheme to ensure non-patented inventions can apply for the Knowledge Development Box lower corporate tax rate, and to make amendments to the Patents Act to re-introduce substantive examination in respect of long-term patent applications.

Memorandum for Government seeking approval for the Bill will be submitted in June 2016

Cybercrime Bill

To give effect to those provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime 2001 not already provided for in national law in order to enable ratification of the Convention.

Preparatory work underway

Data Protection Bill

To give effect in Irish law to the (recently adopted) EU Regulation on Data Protection.

Heads of bill expected end 2016

Passenger Name Record Bill

To give effect to the Passenger Name Record (PNR) Directive which must be transposed into law by May 2018. The Directive is a counter terrorist measure which obliges air carriers to provide member states’ authorities with PNR data for flights entering or departing from the EU.

Heads of bill have yet to be prepared