LEGISLATION AND POLICY
Autumn Legislative Programme
The Government Legislation Programme for Autumn 2025 lists the following for priority publication this session:
- an Industrial Development (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which will include provision to permit IDA Ireland to establish jointly owned Designated Activity Companies to develop industrial and commercial property and infrastructure,
- an Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill, and
- a Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which will include amendments to the Building Control Acts.
The following are listed for priority drafting this session:
- an Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Bill, and
- an EU Deforestation Regulation Bill.
The list of all other legislation includes the Land Development Agency (Amendment) Bill to expand the LDA's role and remit; a Fire Services Bill; and a Building Standards Regulatory Authority Bill, to establish a Building Standards Regulatory Authority to strengthen the oversight role of the State in the design and construction of buildings and the marketing and use of construction products.
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1328 establishes common templates for the transfer of information from national energy performance of buildings databases to the EU Building Stock Observatory. The Recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive requires each Member State to set up a national database on the energy performance of individual buildings and on the overall energy performance of the national building stock. The intent is to allow gathering of data from all relevant sources related to energy performance certificates, inspections, renovation passports, the smart readiness indicator and the calculated or metered energy consumption of the buildings covered.
Circular Economy Strategy
The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment is consulting until 5 November 2025 on the second Circular Economy Strategy 2026-2028. Section 4 is devoted to construction and the built environment and a list of actions and targets are set out at pages 32-33.
This article contains a general summary of developments and is not a complete or definitive statement of the law. Specific legal advice should be obtained where appropriate.
