Within the Government’s recently published Spring Legislative Programme, a number of bills have been identified as a priority for delivery within the Spring Oireachtas session. These include the Planning and Development Bill, Control of Exports Bill, and Automatic Enrolment Retirement Saving System Bill, amongst others, which are particularly relevant for Dublin businesses.

The Work-Life Balance Bill is currently before Seanad Éireann at Committee Stage awaiting a date for debate. In November 2022, when the right to request remote work was announced as being integrated with the Work Life Balance Bill, Government confirmed its intention for this bill to be delivered by the end of 2022. This bill will mandate the Workplace Relations Commission to publish a Code of Practice governing the employer/employee relationship in relation to requesting remote work. The Code of Practice will be governed by Section 40 of the Workplace Relations Act.

The year ahead is certain to have many legislative updates relevant for Dublin businesses, with January 2023 already seeing the commencement of the National Living Wage and Sick Leave Act 2022.