Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 281: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of EU directives within her Department's competency which have not been transposed into law; the number of warning letters received by her Department from the Commission or other EU bodies relating to non-transposed directives in each of the years from 1997 and to date in 2005; the legislation in each case; if that legislation has since been transposed into Irish law or if it is still outstanding; if still outstanding, the date by which it was meant to have been transposed; the title of the directive which has been waiting transposition for the longest period in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31154/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications is the only outstanding directive which has not been transposed into Irish law. The date for transposition of this directive is 20 October 2007 and preparatory work for the drafting of the regulations to meet this transposition date is ongoing within my Department.

Since 1997, my Department has received two warning letters in relation to failure to transpose directives, both of which related to recognition of qualifications, within the prescribed deadline. The first concerned Directive 99/42/EC, the transposition of which was delayed due to the relative complexity of the process involved. It was transposed into Irish law by means of the European Communities (Recognition of Qualifications and Experience) Regulations 2003, SI No. 372 of 2003, which were promulgated on 19 August 2003. The second was Directive 2001/19/EC which was transposed into Irish law by way of the European Communities (General System for the Recognition of Higher Education Diplomas and Professional Education and Training and Second General System for the Recognition of Professional Education and Training) (Amendment) Regulations 2003, SI 36 of 2004.