Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister agree that the transposition delays are unacceptable?

I ask him to confirm that there are three directives with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, dating back to 2001, that have not been transposed and that four infringement proceedings have now been served on the Department. I also ask the Minister to confirm that there were seven directives awaiting transposition last June. Can he tell me whether any of these have been transposed since then?

Since 1997 the Department of Education and Science has received two warnings arising from failure to transpose directives on time. Can the Minister confirm that there are 21 directives awaiting transposition in the Department of Agriculture and Food, one of which is late? In the Department of Transport, Directive 2002 of 11 March 2002 on working times for road hauliers, was not enacted into law by the deadline of 25 March.

Why does the Government delay and stall its obligations to transpose EU directives in a timely manner? Does the Minister agree, despite what he just said about league tables and so forth, that this failure places Ireland in a very bad light on the European stage, particularly given the threat of infringement proceedings against the State?

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