Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Secretarial Facilities) Regulations 2016.
Statutory Instruments
Source: Statutory Instruments

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paragraphs: These Regulations may be cited as the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Secretarial Facilities) Regulations 2016.
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paragraphs: In these Regulations—
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paragraphs: (1) Subject to Regulation 4, each member of DÃ¡il Ãireann, other than a member who holds a Ministerial Office or a 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, and with the consent of the Commission, one additional secretarial assistant working full-time.
(2) The Commission may, upon the written application of a member of DÃ¡il Ãireann, and with the consent of the Commission—
(a) in cases in which the Commission is satisfied that the grant of the application is warranted by reason of the member’s disability, or
(b) where the member has been appointed by a Group as its co-ordinator,
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paragraphs: (1) A member referred to in Regulation 3(1) is entitled to additional secretarial facilities referred to in that paragraph of Regulation 3 only where he or she opts in writing as provided for in paragraph (2) of this Regulation to exercise the entitlement and, subject to that paragraph, does so in the manner and subject to the conditions that the Commission directs from time to time.
(2) Unless the Commission in cases which the Commission considers exceptional permits that exercise on some other occasion—
(a) a member, if he or she wishes to exercise the option referred to in paragraph (1)—
(i) must, subject to clause (ii), do so as soon as practicable after the general election for the 32nd DÃ¡il Ãireann,
(ii) may, if he or she did not exercise that option at the time contemplated by clause (i), do so on the first anniversary of that general election,
(b) a member, if he or she has exercised the option referred to in paragraph (1) at the time contemplated by sub-paragraph (a)(i) of this paragraph (2), may notify the Commission in writing at any time following that exercise that he or she wishes to cease to exercise that option, but only if the minimum notice that his or her employee affected by the decision is entitled to by statute would expire not later than the first anniversary of that exercise or at some sooner date.
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paragraphs: (1) Subject to Regulation 6, each member of Seanad Ãireann, other than a member who holds a Ministerial Office or a 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 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 of a member of Seanad Ãireann, and with the consent of the Commission—
(a) in cases in which the Commission is satisfied that the grant of the application is warranted by reason of the member’s disability, or
(b) where the member has been appointed by a Group as its co-ordinator,
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paragraphs: (1) Any person providing additional secretarial facilities under Regulation 5(1)(b) may be the same person as the secretarial assistant providing standard secretarial facilities under Regulation 5(1)(a).
(2) A member referred to in Regulation 5(1) is entitled to additional secretarial facilities referred to in that paragraph of Regulation 5 only where he or she opts in writing as provided for in paragraph (3) of this Regulation to exercise the entitlement and, subject to that paragraph, does so in the manner and subject to the conditions that the Commission directs from time to time.
(3) Unless the Commission in cases which the Commission considers exceptional permits that exercise on some other occasion—
(a) a member, if he or she wishes to exercise the option referred to in paragraph (2)—
(i) must, subject to clause (ii), do so as soon as practicable after the general election for the 25th Seanad Ãireann,
(ii) may, if he or she did not exercise that option at the time contemplated by clause (i), do so on the first anniversary of that general election,
(b) a member, if he or she has exercised the option referred to in paragraph (2) at the time contemplated by sub-paragraph (a)(i) of this paragraph (3), may notify the Commission in writing at any time following that exercise that he or she wishes to cease to exercise that option, but only if the minimum notice that his or her employee affected by the decision is entitled to by statute would expire not later than the first anniversary of that exercise or at some sooner date.
7. (1)(a) Each of the following—
(A) the holder of a Ministerial Office,
(B) the Chairman of DÃ¡il Ãireann, and
(C) the Deputy Chairman of DÃ¡il Ãireann,
(i) 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
(ii) either—
(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, and with the consent of the Commission, one additional secretarial assistant working full-time.
(b)(i) That any of the persons listed in sub-paragraph (a)(A), (B), and (C) avails of the special secretarial allowance does not limit that person’s entitlements provided for in sub-paragraph (a)(ii).
(ii) Where any of the persons listed in sub-paragraph (a)(A), (B), and (C) does not avail of the entitlements provided for in sub-paragraph (a)(ii), he or she may not avail of the special secretarial allowance in an amount greater than if he or she had availed of those entitlements.
(2) The Chairman of Seanad Ãireann is entitled to 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.
(3)(a) The Deputy Chairman of Seanad Ãireann is entitled to—
(i) subject to clause (ii), secretarial facilities consisting of one secretarial assistant working full-time and one secretarial assistant working half-time, or such number of secretarial assistants working part-time as are equivalent to one secretarial assistant working full-time and one secretarial assistant working half-time,
(ii) during any interval in respect of which he or she avails of the special secretarial allowance, 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.
(b) Where the Deputy Chairman of Seanad Ãireann does not avail of the entitlements provided for in sub-paragraph (a), he or she may not avail of the special secretarial allowance in an amount greater than if he or she had availed of those entitlements.
(4) This paragraph confirms, to avoid doubt, that a member of either House of the Oireachtas may make the application contemplated by (as appropriate) Regulation 3(2)(a) or 5(2)(a) of these Regulations, and may have that application granted in accordance with the terms of that provision of Regulation 3(2) or 5(2), notwithstanding that he or she holds a Ministerial Office or a Parliamentary Office.