Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020
Public bill · Government · Presented
Introduces emergency powers to slow the spread of Covid-19, including travel restrictions, limits on gatherings and other events, temporary closure or safeguards for premises and schools, and enforcement by the Gardaí and health officials. It also allows certain people who are infected or likely to be infectious to be detained and isolated if they refuse to self-isolate, with medical review and appeal safeguards. It also changes welfare rules so people affected by Covid-19 can more easily qualify for illness benefit, and so jobseeker payments can be adapted for people who lose work because of the outbreak. These measures were meant to be temporary, reflecting the urgency of the public health emergency.
Formal long title
Bill entitled an Act, to make exceptional provision, in the public interest and having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of the disease known as Covid-19 and in order to mitigate, where practicable, the effect of the spread of the disease known as Covid-19, to amend the Health Act 1947 to confer a power on the Minister for Health to make regulations prohibiting or restricting the holding of certain events or access to certain premises and to provide for enforcement measures; to provide for powers for certain medical officers of health to order, in certain circumstances, the detention of persons who are suspected to be potential sources of infection with the disease known as Covid-19 and to provide for enforcement measures in that regard; and to confer on the Minister for Health the power to designate areas as areas of infection of Covid-19 and to provide for related matters; to amend and extend the Social Welfare Acts to provide for amendments in relation to entitlement to illness benefit for persons who have been diagnosed with, or are a probable source of infection with the disease known as Covid-19; and to provide for amendments in relation to jobseeker’s benefit and jobseeker’s allowance to mitigate the economic effects of the spread of the disease known as Covid-19; and to provide for related matters.
Last updated 30 March 2020
- Minister for Health Primary
- Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection
- First StageDáil
- Second StageDáil
- Committee StageDáil
- Report StageDáil
- Fifth StageDáil
- Second StageSeanad
- Committee StageSeanad
- Report StageSeanad
- Fifth StageSeanad Enacted
- EnactedEnacted
- Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020: Second Stage Seanad
- Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages Seanad
- Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020: Order for Second Stage Dáil
- An Bille Sláinte (Caomhnú agus Cosaint agus Bearta Éigeandála Eile Ar Mhaithe Le Leas an Phobail), 2020: An Dara Céim Dáil
- Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020: Second Stage Dáil
- An Bille Sláinte (Caomhnú agus Cosaint agus Bearta Éigeandála Eile Ar Mhaithe Le Leas an Phobail), 2020: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha Dáil
- Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages Dáil