Bill

Purpose

Status

Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2014

To amend the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 to provide for a requirement for registered medical practitioners to have medical indemnity insurance except in certain circumstances and to give effect to Directive 2011/24/EU on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare.

Awaiting Committee Stage (Dáil)

Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016

To amend the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, the Dental Act 1985, the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, the Pharmacy Act 2007, the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011 and the Health Acts 1953 and 2004 to provide for 1) amendments required by the transposition of Directive 2013/55/EU, 2) an appeal against the minor sanctions, 3) action to be taken if a person was prohibited or restricted from practising in another country and 4) amendments in relation to a number of other issues including amendments to the registration of medical practitioners and physiotherapists/physical therapists

Second Stage (Seanad)

Health Act 2007 (Amendment) Bill

To provide for the extension of the Health Information and Quality Authority’s functions to encompass regulation in the area of medical ionising radiation protection.

Work is underway

Health (Transport Support) Bill

To provide for a scheme to make individual payments as a contribution towards transport costs to people with severe disabilities on a low income who cannot access public transport.

Work is underway

Patient Safety (Licensing of Healthcare Facilities) Bill

To provide for a mandatory system of licensing for public and private healthcare facilities.

Heads of bill are currently being drafted

Health Information and Patient Safety Bill

To provide a legislative framework for the better governance of health information, initiatives including data matching and health information resources for use in the health service and support for clinical audit and patient safety notifications. It will also provide for the extension of Health Information and Quality Authority’s remit to private health service providers.

Heads of bill approved November 2015, pre-legislative scrutiny completed December 2016

New Children’s Hospital Establishment Bill

To establish a statutory body to provide paediatric acute services in Dublin at the new children’s hospital, taking over those services currently provided by Our Lady’s Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street and the paediatric service at Tallaght Hospital. It will also make amendments relating to the functions of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (Establishment) Order.

Heads of bill expected early 2017

Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015

To provide for minimum unit pricing for retailing of alcohol products; to regulate the advertising and sponsorship of alcohol; to provide for a structural separation of alcohol from other products in mixed trading outlets; to provide for health labelling of alcohol products; and to regulate the sale and supply of alcohol in certain circumstances.

Committee Stage (Seanad)

Public Health (Sale of Tobacco Products and Non-Medicinal Nicotine Delivery Systems) Bill

To provide for the 1) retail licensing of tobacco products and Non-Medical Nicotine Delivery Systems, 2) prohibition of the sale of tobacco products from self service vending services, 3) prohibition of the sale of tobacco products by persons under 18 years of age, and 4) prohibition of the sale of non-medicinal nicotine delivery systems by, and to persons under 18 years of age.

Work is underway

Assisted Human Reproduction Bill

To provide a legislative framework for the regulation of assisted human reproduction practices and stem cell research.

Heads of bill currently being developed

Health & Wellbeing (Calorie Posting and Workplace Wellbeing) Bill

To 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

Human Tissue Bill

To meet the key recommendation of the Madden Report that no hospital post-mortem may be carried out and no tissue retained after post-mortem without consent. It will also address other matters relating to human tissue including consent arrangements for organ transplantation and anatomical examination purposes.

Work on scoping the legislation is being progressed

Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill

To provide for registration of physiotherapists/physical therapists and some other technical amendments.

Heads of bill approved December 2016