Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Secretarial Facilities) Regulations 2013

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Citation: IR SI 2/2013
• Year: 2013

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 15th January, 2013.

The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by section 2(1)(c) (inserted by section 3 of the Oireachtas (Miscellaneous Provisions) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices (Amendment) Act 1996 (No. 39 of 1996)) of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act 1962 (No. 32 of 1962), and by section 10(4) (inserted by section 1 of the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Officers) (Amendment) Act 2001 (No. 30 of 2001)) of the Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Act 1938 (No. 38 of 1938) and by section 4 (3) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003 (No. 28 of 2003), hereby make the following regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Secretarial Facilities) Regulations 2013.

2. In these Regulations—

“independent member” means a member of either House of the Oireachtas who is not a member of a qualifying party;

“Ministerial or Parliamentary Office” means the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister of the Government, Minister of State, Chairman of Dáil Éireann, Chairman of Seanad Éireann, Deputy Chairman of Dáil Éireann, Deputy Chairman of Seanad Éireann or Leader of Seanad Éireann.

3. (1) Subject to Regulation 4, each member of Dáil Éireann, who is not the holder of Ministerial or Parliamentary Office, is entitled to—

(a) standard secretarial facilities consisting of either one secretarial assistant working full-time or such number of secretarial assistants working part-time as are equivalent to one secretarial assistant working full-time, and

(b) additional secretarial facilities consisting of one of the following:

(i) one parliamentary assistant working full-time or such number of parliamentary assistants working part-time as are equivalent to one parliamentary assistant working full-time, or

(ii) in cases which the Commission considers exceptional, with the consent of the Commission, one additional secretarial assistant working full-time.

(2) The Commission may, upon the written application by a member of Dáil Éireann, in cases which the Commission considers exceptional and with the consent of the Commission, provide the member in question with additional secretarial facilities up to the equivalent in monetary terms of one secretarial assistant working full-time subject to such conditions as the Commission directs.

(3) A member of Dáil Éireann who is the Chairman of Dáil Éireann or the Deputy Chairman of Dáil Éireann may, subject to a decision of the Commission, opt to avail of secretarial facilities as specified in paragraph (1)(b).

4. A member referred to in Regulation 3(1) is entitled to additional secretarial facilities referred to in that Regulation only where he or she opts in writing, in such a manner and subject to such conditions as the Commission directs, from time to time, to exercise the entitlement.

5. (1) Each member of Dáil Éireann, who is not the holder of Ministerial or Parliamentary Office, is entitled to secretarial facilities consisting of 3 suites of computer equipment as specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1, and one set of facilities as specified in Parts 3 to 5 of Schedule 1.

(2) Members may be supplied with one tablet device in addition to the computer devices already provided for in paragraph (1) and any such tablet device provided shall not be counted for the purposes of determining the allocation of computer equipment to members and shall be discounted until the first occasion on which a computer (desktop PC or laptop) issued to the member is due to be replaced. On that occasion that computer shall not be replaced and shall be returned to the Commission by the member to whom it was issued unless the member has refunded to the Commission the full original purchase price (including VAT) of the tablet device issued pursuant to this paragraph.

(3) In the case of work sharing arrangements, referred to in Regulation 3(1), a maximum of one additional suite of computer equipment, as specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1 may be issued to the member. In the case of the provision of additional secretarial facilities, referred to in Regulation 3(2), a maximum of one additional suite of computer equipment as specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1 may be issued to the member.

6. (1) Subject to Regulation 7, each member of Seanad Éireann, who is not the holder of Ministerial or Parliamentary Office, is entitled to—

(a) standard secretarial facilities consisting of either one secretarial assistant working half-time or such number of secretarial assistants working less than half-time as are equivalent to one secretarial assistant working half-time, and

(b) additional secretarial facilities consisting of one secretarial assistant working either quarter-time or up to half-time or such number of secretarial assistants working less than half-time as are equivalent to one secretarial assistant working half-time.

(2) The Commission may, upon the written application by a member of Seanad Éireann, in cases which the Commission considers exceptional and with the consent of the Commission, provide the member in question with additional secretarial facilities up to the equivalent in monetary terms of one secretarial assistant working full-time subject to such conditions as the Commission directs.

(3) A member of Seanad Éireann who is the Chairman of Seanad Éireann or the Deputy Chairman of Seanad Éireann may, subject to a decision of the Commission, opt to avail of secretarial facilities as specified in paragraph (1).

7. (1) Any person providing additional secretarial facilities under Regulation 6(1)(b) may be the same person as the secretarial assistant providing standard secretarial facilities under Regulation 6(1)(a).

(2) A member referred to in Regulation 6(1) is entitled to such additional secretarial facilities referred to in that Regulation only where he or she opts in writing, in such a manner and subject to such conditions as the Commission directs, from time to time, to exercise the entitlement.

8. (1) Each member of Seanad Éireann, who is availing of secretarial facilities under Regulation 6, is entitled to secretarial facilities consisting of 2 suites of computer equipment as specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1 and one set of facilities as specified in Parts 3 to 5 of Schedule 1.

(2) Members may be supplied with one tablet device in addition to the computer devices already provided for in paragraph (1) and any such tablet device...