The Government on Wednesday night rushed through a number of priority Bills in a scramble to clear the decks in advance of the dissolution of the Dáil and the general election.
A number of key pieces of legislation completed their passage through the Dáil with the Government imposing a guillotine on debates.
Five Bills were considered and passed in the Dáil in under six hours, a process that normally takes weeks.
The most contentious was the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill which was amended because of a groundswell of opposition that turned into a backbench revolt, after it had been passed in the Dáil.
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Minister for Justice Helen McEntee amended the legislation in the Seanad to delete the references to incitement to violence or hatred. It also removes reference to the EU framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia and its title changes to the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act.
Other Bills were the Maternity Protection Bill, which will allow paid extended maternity leave for mothers undergoing cancer treatment; the Housing Bill; the Seanad Electoral Bill, which will extend the franchise for the university seats to more third-level institutions; and the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill, which includes the provision that women in menopause will receive HRT medicines free of charge with annual savings of up to €800.
The Seanad Electoral Bill was passed with a vote on the second-stage debate, postponed from Tuesday, and no discussion at all on the committee or remaining stages. TDs passed the Bill by 71 to 53 votes.
The Dáil sits on Thursday but is then adjourned until Tuesday, November 5th, expected to be the final week of the 33rd Dáil.
The Finance Bill, which gives effect to budgetary measures, will be rushed through the remaining stages that week and will be subject to guillotine.
Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton said on Wednesday night there were 11 Bills being progressed at present, and her expectation was that nine of these would go to the President for final approval.
The two Bills not expected to become law before the Dáil is dissolved are the Defamation Bill and the Mental Health Bill.
The remaining three Bills of the nine are all time-bound, according to Government sources. Ministers have been told that the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill must be passed by the end of the year, or else it will not be in a position to operate.
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It provides for a three-year budget of €565 million for the Oireachtas, an increase of more than 20 per cent.
Once votes on supplementary estimates are passed by the Dáil – necessary to authorise extra spending in several Government departments – the Appropriations Bill must also be passed that week to provide a legal underpinning for Government spending. There is also a Companies Enforcement Bill which will be debated and passed in the Oireachtas on November 6th.
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