Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 349: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of EU measures which have been transposed into primary or secondary legislation by his Department in the past 12 months; if he will list each measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34632/08]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 350: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if there are EU measures in his Department which require to be transposed into Irish primary or secondary legislation; whether, if so, he will detail those measures; when they were drafted by the EU Commission; when he will transpose them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34647/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 349 and 350 together.

My Department has national co-ordination responsibility for the transposition of the following two EU Directives on professional qualifications: EU 2005/36/EC on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications; EU 2006/100/EC which includes qualifications in respect of regulated professions in Bulgaria and Romania to be included in the regime under the EU directives on Recognition of Professional Qualifications with effect from accession on 1st January 2007.

The Recognition of Professional Qualifications (Directive 2005/36/EC) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 139/2008), which commenced on 6th May 2008, transposed the General System element of 2005/36/EC, including the additions in 2006/100/EC in respect of Bulgaria and Romania. The General System covers qualifications in all cases except where harmonised minimum conditions apply for automatic recognition of sectoral qualifications. The exceptions are doctors, specialist doctors, nurses responsible for general care, dentists, midwives, veterinary surgeons, pharmacists, lawyers and architects. The transposition in the sectoral professions has been undertaken by the relevant Departments, and has been completed in all cases, except for doctors, where the relevant elements of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 remain to be commenced.