Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 September 2013
135. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a progress report on an independent audit of the transposition and implementation of EU legislation; when he expects to achieve the programme for Government commitment to eliminating the practice of transposing EU law into Irish law by means of statutory instrument alone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39132/13]
View answerI would draw the Deputy’s attention to our much-improved record in the transposition of EU Directives. Ireland achieved a zero% transposition deficit score in the December 2012 Internal Market Scoreboard, by transposing all Directives on time. We were only the second Member State to achieve this since the Scoreboard was first compiled in 1997. We achieved a score of 0.3%, which is half the 0.6% EU-wide average, in the May 2013 Internal Market Scoreboard. The ICEE will continue to monitor Departments’ progress to maintain the continued improvement in Ireland’s transposition record.
The assessment of the legislative measures necessary to give effect to a Directive is made by the relevant Department based upon the particular circumstances of each Directive and in the light of advice from the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel where required.
The Government has established an Interdepartmental Committee on EU Engagement (ICEE) to ensure rigorous and ongoing examination of transposition and implementation of EU legislation. The Committee is chaired by the Minister of State for European Affairs and is attended by senior official representatives of all Government Departments, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. The Committee’s terms of reference include to continually examining participation in the shaping of EU legislation, transposition of EU legislation, and promoting engagement of the Oireachtas in EU affairs.
The Deputy will also be aware of the mainstreaming of scrutiny of EU legislation across sectoral Committees, which enables Committees to have a greater engagement with and oversight of the respective Departments, including the transposition and implementation of EU legislation within their remit. With the considerable demand the Presidency placed on resources in Departments now behind us, I believe it is appropriate now to conduct a review of current scrutiny processes through the ICEE with a view to identifying areas for improvement.
