President Michael D Higgins signs two Bills into law

President Michael D Higgins signed two more pieces of legislation into law on Tuesday.

Mr Higgins signed the Electoral (Amendment) Bill and the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday morning.

The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2015 allows for a revision of the 2007 guidelines for apartment standards.

It will also help to ensure authorities examine specific national planning policy requirements issued by the Minister when considering planning applications.

The Electoral (Amendment) Bill will provide for minor technical changes in electoral legislation.

The Bill will allow for the inclusion of the Local Authority Members Association in the register of nominating bodies for Seanad elections.

Mr Higgins will convene the Council of State on Tuesday to consider the International Protection Bill for asylum procedures.

The President had to work on Christmas Day to sign five Bills into law, to meet the constitutional requirement that this must be done on the fifth, sixth or seventh day after the head of state receives the legislation from the Oireachtas.

General election

The Coalition has speeded up the passing of a variety of Bills ahead of the general election, which is expected in late February.

The Bills signed by the President on December 25th include the Finance (Tax Appeals) Bill, which sets up the Tax Appeals Commission, and the Bankruptcy (Amendment) Bill, which reduces the duration of bankruptcy from three years to one year.

Other Bills signed were the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill, which introduces a range of measures, including risk-equalisation credits, and the Harbours Bill, which provides the necessary legal basis for the transfer of ports in Drogheda, Dún Laoghaire, Galway, New Ross and Wicklow to local authorities.

The Prisons Bill, which was piloted through the Dáil in its final stages by Minister of State Ann Phelan, with no other Government or Opposition TD present, was also signed into law.