Controversial Bills to abolish the Republic’s military triple lock and to ban goods, but not services, originating from illegal Israeli settlements will be published by Easter, Government Chief Whip Mary Butler has said.
Ms Butler published the legislation programme for the spring session of the Dáil, which includes 30 Bills for priority legislation. Not all will be published over the next three months and some on the list have been carried over from the autumn.
The Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Bill will prohibit the importation of goods into the State from that region, but it is silent on the issue of services.
The proposed legislation is being brought forward by Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee after extensive consultation between the department and Attorney General Rossa Fanning on the issues of whether or not services (including financial services and tourism services such as Airbnb) could be included.
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The proposed Bill provides for steps that will prevent trade relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the territories. It will also prohibit the importation of goods originating in Israeli settlements.
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Opposition parties, and several Government backbench TDs and Senators, have argued the Bill should not confine itself only to goods.
The Defence Bill will provide for the removal of the so-called triple lock, which is required whenever more than 12 members of the Defence Forces are being deployed outside the State as part of an international force.
The system has been in place since the second Nice Treaty in 2002 and provides that no Irish mission can be deployed without being sanctioned by three bodies: the United Nations, the Executive (Irish government) and Oireachtas Éireann.
The Government has argued that the ongoing deadlock between permanent members of the Security Council has meant no peacekeeping mission has been sanctioned since 2014.
The change is opposed by all Opposition parties, who say there are other possible mechanisms within the UN to allow a mission to be deployed. They argue that the Government’s move to end it will lead to erosion of the Republic’s long-standing policy of military neutrality.
Another piece of proposed legislation likely to be strongly opposed by the Opposition is the International Protection Bill, which will give effect to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact.
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The Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity Bill), which proposes to lift the passenger cap, will likely be contested. At present, the airport operator, DAA, is authorised to allow no more than 32 million passengers to pass through each year, although that cap was breached in 2025 and is likely to again be breached during 2026.
The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill is designed to strengthen governance at the national broadcaster, RTÉ. Measures in the Bill include bringing RTÉ under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
It will also provide for the establishment of a statutory media fund administered by the regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, which will be funded by 7 per cent of the TV licence fee.
