Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I believe that the deadline for the transposition of the directive into Irish law is 31 December. It would appear that the Bill will not be enacted before that deadline. Can the Minister confirm this, or will he attempt to guillotine the Bill before that date? If it is not met, does the State face the possibility of having European fines imposed on it due to the Minister's tardiness in bringing it before the Oireachtas? Can the Minister assure me that he will not use this Bill as some sort of excuse to extend Green Party participation in the Government into January or February?

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