Criminal assets legislation to be brought to Cabinet
It is estimated that the value of crime in Ireland is calculated at €1.7 billion per annum.
Minister O'Callaghan is expected to tell his Cabinet colleagues today that the harder the State makes it for criminal organisations to obtain, launder and keep their money then the weaker they will become.
His new legislation - The Proceeds of Crime and Related Matters Bill 2025 - seeks to strengthen the Criminal Assets Bureau's ability to target the proceeds of crime and improve the efficiency of their processes.
One of the main planks of the legislation is to reduce from seven years to two years the time between a judicial determination being made that assets are the proceeds of crime and a final disposal order being available in respect of those assets.
In addition, once a judicial determination that assets are the proceeds of crime has been made, the legislation provides for the immediate and automatic appointment of a receiver to ensure that respondents cannot continue to benefit from those assets, pending a final disposal order being made.
National Broadband Plan
Additionally, Minister for Media Patrick O'Donovan will tell Cabinet this morning that the National Broadband Plan will be delivered ahead of time and within budget.
The latest update on the project suggests that 400,000 premises will be connected by the end of the summer, leaving the project well-positioned to achieve its target of 420,000 premises passed by the end of the year.
National Broadband Plan Ireland, the Government initiative to bring high speed fibre powered broadband to rural Ireland, is said to be connecting 5,000 premises every month.
The Minister will say that Ireland is on-track to be one of the first countries in Europe to provide high-speed broadband to 100% of the population, which creates long-term opportunities for Ireland.
Every NBI fibre connection is capable of delivering up to 10Gbps speeds on day one, with initial speeds on offer of 500Mbps, 1Gbps and 2Gbps.
Air Pollution Bill
Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment Darragh O'Brien will seek Cabinet approval this morning for the the Air Pollution Bill (amendment) 2025.
The legislation is expected to focus on measures to enhance the enforcement capacity of local authorities, and support the effective implementation of the solid fuel regulations.
It will also deliver key aspects of Ireland's Clean Air Strategy with the aim of maximising the health benefits for the Irish public from continuous improvements to the air that they breathe.
It is understood the bill does not impinge on the current arrangements in place for householders, or make changes to the existing rules that relate to turf.
Education system
The latest statistical analysis of Ireland's education system will be shared with Cabinet by Minister for Higher and Further Education James Lawless, Minister for Education Helen McEntee and Minister for Children Norma Foley.
Education Indicators for Ireland 2024, based on data from the previous year, contains for the first time a chapter on education in early childhood and therefore all levels of education and learning are now covered.
In further and higher education, the post-primary to higher education transition rate increased to 64.7% in 2023.
At the same time, the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools narrowed by 2.7%, suggesting improved equality of access to higher education.
Over 78,000 learners were supported by grants in their full-time enrolment in higher education in 2023, up from just over 60,000 in the previous year.
In the first year of reporting, 45% of higher education learners surveyed who required accommodation resided in purpose-built student accommodation.
Postgraduate research enrolments continued to increase in 2023, with increases in both full-time (+1.5%) and part-time (+7.2%) enrolments on PhD programmes.
The total number of registrations on courses for Near-Zero Energy Building/Retrofit skills has increased almost tenfold from 455 in 2019 to close to 4,500 in 2023.
Close to 15,000 learners (6.8%) in further education and training in 2023 reported having at least one disability.
In 2023 the apprenticeship population continued to increase, approaching 27,500, and to diversify, with almost 16% on consortia-led programmes.
Total apprenticeship certifications rose to their highest value in the observed period, surpassing 4,500 in 2023.
The latest Adult Education Survey, conducted in 2022, revealed that 48.3% of adults had engaged in formal or non-formal learning in the previous 12 months, up 2.3% since the previous survey in 2017.
Central Bank Amendment Bill
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will outline his strategy to Cabinet today on how to advance legislation which seeks to ensure that people who have survived cancer should not be penalised for their past health experiences when trying to buy a home or other financial activities.
The programme for Government includes a commitment to legislate for a statutory "Right to Be Forgotten" for cancer survivors, and Minister Donohoe will say that the Coalition remains fully committed to achieving that aim through its Central Bank Amendment Bill.
It is understood that the Department of Finance has engaged extensively with stakeholders, including the Irish Cancer Society, Insurance Ireland, regulators, and international peers, in order to identify the most appropriate and effective means to progress this legislation.
Minister Donohoe is now recommending that Government time is used to progress this bill through second stage.
It is expected that committee stage amendments are also being prepared, and the Department of Finance will work in consultation with the Attorney General's Office, to ensure the bill is fully compliant with EU law and operationally viable.
The amendments will ensure that the bill is focused on mortgage protection insurance, in line with EU best practice.
In advancing the Central Bank Amendment Bill, the Government has incorporated and amended proposed legislation by Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South Central Catherine Ardagh who has continued to work on the new bill, along with Minister of State Robert Troy.
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