Measuring the Government’s legislative accomplishments
The publication of the Autumn Legislative Programme shows that the current administration has presented 211 legislative bills since it came to office in June 2020. eolas Magazine evaluates how this compares to legislative accomplishments of previous governments.
When measuring the success of a government, there is one simple metric which can determine whether an administration is successful in implementing its programme, the amount of legislation it has passed.
The three-party coalition government has, since formation in June 2020, overseen 211 bills being presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas, of which 203 had been passed into law at the time the legislative programme was published.
When the Government took office following the inconclusive election result in February 2020, it followed a campaign which harnessed frustration on social challenges, particularly health and housing, as well as the need to tackle the climate emergency, all of which came just before a global pandemic which shut down the country for most of 2020 and part of 2021.
In historical terms, the amount of legislation passed over the term of the current legislation has been average, in spite of unique circumstances such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the energy crisis emanating from the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, and the Government’s measures to tackle the housing crisis.
However, while the amount of legislation has been average, the significance of the incumbent administration’s legislative initiatives are arguably above that of most governments.
The Government has passed significant legislation pertaining to housing and environmental policy, largely driven by the surge of support for the Green Party between 2019 and 2020.
Between the energy transition measures driven by the Climate Action Plan and the Government’s legislation driven by Housing for All, the Government has succeeded in passing long-term, consequential legislation which will likely continue to set the agenda for future governments.
Autumn Legislative Programme
More than four years into office, most of the Government’s flagship policies are now in place, particularly in housing and energy. At the time of publication, the flagship piece of legislation awaiting passage was the then-Planning and Development Bill – the third largest piece of legislation in the history of the Houses of the Oireachtas – which was passed in the Dáil on 9 October 2024 after around 170 pages in amendments from the Seanad were added. This has since been signed into law by President Michael D Higgins.
The Autumn Legislative Programme outlines 29 pieces of legislation for priority publication in the Houses of the Oireachtas’ autumn term, with 32 pieces being drafted for priority legislation.
At the time of publication of the legislative programme, there were 24 bills on the Dáil and Seanad Order paper. Since the legislative plan was announced, the Government has passed significant overhauls to planning legislation and aims to oversee passage of legislative initiatives pertaining to housing and cybersecurity before the Dáil dissolves.
Speaking at the time of publication, Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton TD said: “Since my appointment as Government Chief Whip in December 2022, government has overseen the enactment and publication of 148 pieces of legislation, all of which contribute towards making life a little bit easier for families, for workers, for farmers and for society as a whole. Since the formation of this government (June 2020), 211 bills have been published and 203 bills have been enacted.”
Bills presented to the Oireachtas by government term
