Oireachtas (Allowances To Members) (Amendment) Regulations, 1991.
Statutory Instruments
Source: Statutory Instruments

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paragraphs: (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Amendment) Regulations, 1991.
(2) The Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Regulations, 1963 to 1984, and these Regulations may be cited together as the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Regulations, 1963 to 1991.
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paragraphs: (1) Free postal facilities arising out of his parliamentary duties granted to a member of DÃ¡il Ãireann or Seanad Ãireann shall be subject to the following exceptions, restrictions and conditions:
( a ) the facilities shall not commence until the member first becomes, by compliance with the Standing Orders of the House of which he is a member, entitled, under the Standing Orders of that house, to sit in that House as a member thereof;
( b ) the facilities shall not be exercised save by means of envelopes which, on application made by the member concerned to the Clerk of DÃ¡il Ãireann or the Clerk of Seanad Ãireann, as may be appropriate, shall be issued for the purposes of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Regulations, 1963 to 1991;
( c ) envelopes issued for the purposes of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Regulations, 1963 to 1991, shall be prepaid in the following manner, that is to say—
(i) at the ordinary inland letter post rate for Post Office preferred size envelopes (which envelopes are subsequently referred to in this Regulation as "ordinary prepaid envelopes"), or
(ii) at a rate which is one and a half times such letter post rate (which envelopes are so referred to as "prepaid (intermediate size) envelopes"), or
(iii) at a rate which is three times such letter post rate (which envelopes are so referred to as "prepaid (large size) envelopes"), or
(iv) at a rate equivalent to the standard rate for a 20 gramme airmail letter to destinations outside Europe (which envelopes are so referred to as "prepaid (airmail) envelopes");
( d ) each such member shall be entitled to receive a monthly allocation of ordinary prepaid envelopes not exceeding—
(i) in case the member is a party whip, the number obtained by adding—
(I) the number which is equal to the number of members for the time being of the Parliamentary Party of which he is whip when multiplied by five, and
(II) 1,250,
(ii) in any other case, 1,250;
( e ) in case as regards a particular month such a member receives no ordinary prepaid envelopes or less than 1,250 such envelopes, his allocation as regards that month of such envelopes or, as may be appropriate, the remainder of such allocation shall be forfeited;
( f ) a member shall be entitled to receive prepaid (intermediate size) envelopes if, and only if, as regards any two of such envelopes he surrenders to the Clerk of DÃ¡il Ãireann or the Clerk of Seanad Ãireann, as may be appropriate, three ordinary prepaid envelopes previously issued to him;
( g ) a member shall be entitled to receive prepaid (airmail) envelopes if, and only if, as regards any three of such envelopes he surrenders to the Clerk of DÃ¡il Ãireann or the Clerk of Seanad Ãireann, as may be appropriate, five ordinary prepaid envelopes previously issued to him;
( h ) a member shall be entitled to receive prepaid (large size) envelopes if, and only if, as regards each such envelope he surrenders to the Clerk of DÃ¡il Ãireann or the Clerk of Seanad Ãireann, as may be appropriate, three ordinary prepaid envelopes previously issued to him;
( i ) letters sent by means of prepaid (airmail) envelopes shall not be posted save by the Clerk of DÃ¡il Ãireann or the Clerk of Seanad Ãireann, as may be appropriate, after having been delivered to him for posting and any postal charge owing on such a letter over and above the prepaid amount shall be paid to the Clerk of DÃ¡il Ãireann or the Clerk of Seanad Ãireann, as may be appropriate, by or on behalf of the member at the time such letters are delivered to him for posting;
( j ) the facilities may be withdrawn in whole or in part in respect of any month as may be determined by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges of DÃ¡il Ãireann or by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges of Seanad Ãireann, as may be appropriate, from any member who has allowed another party to send by means of prepaid envelopes issued to the member letters not arising from the member's parliamentary duties;
( k ) any question or dispute concerning matters of fact regarding whether a member has allowed another party to send by means of prepaid envelopes issued to the member letters not arising from the member's parliamentary duties shall be referred to and determined by:
(i) in case the member is a member of DÃ¡il Ãireann, the Committee on Procedure and Privileges of DÃ¡il Ãireann or, if at the time the reference falls to be made, that Committee does not stand appointed, the Chairman of DÃ¡il Ãireann,
(ii) in case the member is a member of Seanad Ãireann, the Committee on Procedure and Privileges of Seanad Ãireann or, if at the time the reference falls to be made, that Committee does not stand appointed, the Chairman of Seanad Ãireann,
and every such determination shall be final.
(2) For the purposes of this Regulation the number of members of a Parliamentary Party shall be the number equal to the number of persons each of whom is for the time being—
( a ) a member of the particular political party concerned (being a political party registered in the Register of Political Parties for the purposes of section 13 of the Electoral Act, 1963 (No. 19 of 1963)), and
( b ) a member of the Oireachtas or a representative in the European Parliament:
Provided that where a member of the Oireachtas is for the time being such a representative, then for the said purposes the fact that he is such a representative shall be disregarded.
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paragraphs: Regulation 3 of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Amendment) Regulations, 1984 ( S.I. No. 126 of 1984 ), is hereby revoked.