Justice Committee to hold meetings on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Civil Reform Bill 2025 and the Digital Omnibus package COM 2025

In its first session, at 15:00 the Committee will meet for pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Civil Reform Bill 2025.   

Representatives from the Bar of Ireland, Maynooth University, the Irish Refugee Council, Free Legal Advice Centres, Legal Aid Board, Construction Industry Federation and officials from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration will appear. 

On conclusion of its pre-legislative scrutiny, the Committee will hold a second session to discuss the Digital Omnibus package [COM (2025) 837. 

Representatives from European Digital Rights, DCU Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society, DIGITALEUROPE and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties will appear.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Matt Carthy said: “The General Scheme of the Civil Reform Bill 2025 aims to modernise our civil justice system and tackle the delays, and costs that people face. 

Judicial Review is a core component of access to justice, the rule of law and democracy. It is often the only way for people to challenge laws, decisions or actions taken by a wide range of public bodies which are contrary to their legal, constitutional or fundamental rights, or which deny them access to essential public services.  

Key reforms should ensure that legitimate concerns can be brought before the courts but that the system cannot be misused, and that costs are reduced where possible.

In our second session we will discuss COM - the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus Package which is a set of proposals to simplify and amend the EU’s existing digital rulebook on data, AI and cybersecurity.   

As a Committee, we recognise the need to simplify complex digital rules and support European competitiveness, but we need to consider that this cannot come at the expense of people’s fundamental rights or democratic accountability in digital spaces.   

Ireland has a particular responsibility, as a key digital regulator, to get this right and we will carefully examine the Commission’s package with representatives.”

Watch the meeting live on www.oireachtas.ie or on the Oireachtas smartphone app for Apple and Android.