‘His excuse for his delay does not wash’ on regulation of nitrous oxide

“His excuse for his delay simply does not wash.”

A TD has called on an Oireachtas Committee to pass his bill on the regulation of nitrous oxide sales in October after it was delayed for nine months.

Dublin Mid-West TD Mark Ward has written to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice to request they pass his bill once the delay brought in by the Government ends.

The bill will enter stage three of five once the Committee on Justice are able to give it detailed consideration in October.

If passed through the committee stage, the bill will have to pass through a report stage based on the committee’s issues with the proposed legislation before the elected members review and vote whether to bring it into law or not.

Deputy Ward criticised the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan TD, who had stated that the proposed bill only came to his attention in recent weeks.

Deputy Ward said: “I have written to the Justice Committee  asking for my legislation to regulate nitrous oxide to be considered for Committee Stage after the government’s nine-month delay has passed…

“The Minister for Justice said it only came to his attention two weeks ago, but I have been raising this for five years.

“I first introduced this legislation in October 2024 and again in April 2025, so how is it that the Minister is only reading it in January 2026.”

The Sale of Nitrous Oxide and Related Products Bill 2024 was introduced to the Dáil on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

In the time since, reports and studies on nitrous oxide misuse have been completed.

Recently published research from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland noted a spike in spinal cord damage among Irish teens due to nitrous oxide in recent years, with no patients said to have made a full recovery.

A study from December outlined that 18 young people were diagnosed with nitrous oxide-associated myeloneuropathy in Tallaght University Hospital over the course of 21 months from October 2022 to July 2024.

Revenue also said in December that organised crime was driving a surge in sales of the inhalant.

Deputy Ward concluded: “In the same week that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs delayed my bill for nine months, a report was released to show a sharp increase in spinal cord injuries due to nitrous oxide since Covid. None of the patients in the report made a full recovery, even after treatment.

“Either Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs don’t understand the real harm that nitrous oxide misuse poses for our young people, or they simply do not care. At this stage, I am not sure which is worse.

“I am calling for my bill to progress through Committee Stage in October so that there is no further delay.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.