The Government will produce the Bill providing for the privatisation of Aer Lingus among 20 legislative measures it intends to publish before the Dail breaks for the summer in July.
The Aer Lingus Bill will be published by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, and will provide for an initial public offering of shares in the State airline.
The flotation is expected early next year and is intended to allow the airline to raise the £300-£400 million it says it needs for investment, mainly in new aircraft.
The Government Chief Whip, Mr Seamus Brennan, yesterday published the Government's legislation programme for the summer Oireachtas session, which starts today.
The intention to publish the 20 Bills was already known, with yesterday's announcement confirming that they will be available before mid-July.
Some 41 Bills are currently before the Dail and Seanad: the Government has approved the heads of a further 14 on which drafting work is now being done; and 65 further Bills are at an early stage of preparation, with heads not yet approved by the Cabinet.
The Bills to be published before the summer recess include the Standards in Public Office Bill, which will provide for a new standards commission and the implementation of some other recommendations of the Dunnes Payments Tribunal.
The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill will give the Labour Court power to adjudicate in industrial disputes where companies refuse to follow the normal voluntary procedures or fail to deal in good faith with trade union or staff representatives.
Other Bills will provide for the planned tax incentive-based renewal scheme for small towns; introduce a modern Valuation Act; and implement the recommendations of the Working Group on Company Law Compliance and Enforcement, including the setting up of the Office of the Director of Corporate Law Enforcement.
Since the Government came into office on June 26th, 1997, 113 Bills have been enacted, eight of them this year.