Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 157: To ask the Minister for Transport the action he intends taking to transpose directive 2000/79/EC into Irish law in view of the recent European Court of Justice ruling; the reason for the delay in its transposition; and the action he is taking to address all remaining untransposed directives. [9188/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Directive 2000/79 deals with working time for mobile workers in civil aviation. A draft statutory instrument to implement this directive is at an advanced stage of preparation, following consultations with employee and employer representatives. The main issue outstanding is the detail of an inspection regime by the existing working time labour inspectorate under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. My officials have been liaising with that Department on this issue, and are aiming to have the directive transposed in the near future.

The working time limits contained in this directive are essentially the same as those in the existing JAR-Ops rules on flying time, which are currently implemented by the Irish Aviation Authority in Ireland. Forthcoming EU legislation in this area, known as EU-Ops, will formally transpose the JAR-Ops rules into European law by way of a regulation that is expected to be adopted later in the first half of this year. This regulation will be directly applicable in each member state.

In regard to directives not yet transposed into national law, every effort is being made to effect transpositions as soon as possible.