Hate crime legislation under five bills swept through Dáil in six hours – The Irish Times

The government rushed through a number of priority bills on Wednesday evening in a scramble to clean up the house ahead 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.

Within six hours, five bills were debated and passed in the Dáil, a process that normally takes weeks.

The most controversial bill was the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Crime) Bill, which was amended due to a groundswell of opposition which, after passing in the Dáil, culminated in a backstabbing rebellion.

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Justice Secretary Helen McEntee has amended legislation in the Seanad to remove references to incitement to violence or hatred. References to the EU Framework Decision on Combating Racism and Xenophobia and the title changes to the Criminal Justice (Hate Crimes) Act are also deleted.

Other bills included the Pregnancy Protection Act, which would allow paid extended maternity leave for mothers undergoing cancer treatment; the housing law; the Seanad Election Bill, which will extend university seat franchises to more third-level institutions; and the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill, which includes provision for menopausal women to receive HRT medicines for free, with annual savings of up to €800.

The Seanad election bill was passed with a vote on the second stage debate, postponed until Tuesday, and without any discussion on the committee or the remaining stages. TDs passed the bill by a vote of 71 to 53.

The Dáil will take place on Thursday, but will then be postponed until Tuesday, November 5, which is expected to be the final week of the 33rd Dáil.

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The budget law, which implements budgetary measures, will be put through the remaining phases that week and will be guillotined.

Government Leader Whip Hildegarde Naughton said on Wednesday evening that there were currently 11 bills under consideration, and her expectation was that nine of them 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 of the nine bills 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 it will not be able to function.

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It provides a three-year budget of €565 million for the Oireachtas, an increase of more than 20 percent.

Once votes on additional estimates are passed by the Dáil – needed to authorize additional spending in various government departments – the Appropriations Bill must also be passed that week to provide a legal basis for the government’s spending. There is also a Business Enforcement Bill that will be debated and passed in the Oireachtas on November 6.