Mary Cooney, Margaret Muldowney and Barry Murphy

On 9 December 2025, the Cabinet approved the publication of the Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025. Subsequently, on 16 December 2025, the bill was initiated before the Dáil.

This bill represents a significant development in Ireland’s health law, as it seeks to amend the Health Act 2007 to create a robust regulatory framework for home support providers.

The bill proposes a comprehensive system of national quality standards, which will be developed by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). These standards coexist with the minimum requirements outlined in regulations issued by the Minister for Health.

One of the most notable features of the bill is the introduction of criminal liability for individuals or entities that provide home support services without being registered.

The bill creates two layers of oversight for home support providers. Firstly, the Chief Inspector of Social Services has overall responsibility for ensuring compliance with the law.

Secondly, the HIQA Inspectorate will conduct physical inspections and check their operations against the standards, reporting their findings. If serious breaches are identified, their reports can result in enforcement actions, such as suspension or cancellation of registration.

The legislation aims to ensure that home support services are delivered safely and to a consistently high standard.

This amendment marks a departure from the existing Health Act 2007, which currently does not provide a registration system for home support providers.

The new framework will make it an offence to operate without registration and will include transitional arrangements for existing providers.

The bill builds on the Department of Health’s earlier work, following the publication of the General Scheme of the Health (Amendment) (Licensing of Professional Home Support Providers) Bill 2024.

The introduction of this bill reflects the government’s recognition of the growing importance of home care services in Ireland. With an ageing population and increasing demand for home-based care, the sector has received significant funding in recent years.

Regulation is seen as a necessary step to protect vulnerable service users and ensure quality standards are maintained.

The bill will now progress through the various legislative stages before the Oireachtas. Once passed and signed into law by the President, the bill will become an Act. The Minister for Health will then set a commencement date for all or parts of the Act.

Mary Cooney is a partner, Margaret Muldowney is a consultant and Barry Murphy is a senior associate at William Fry LLP. Katie O’Reilly also contributed to this article.