I move that the Bill be now read a Second Time. The main purpose of the Bill is to obtain an extension of up a year in the period for which the Civil Service Regulation Act, 1956, and the Civil Service Commissioners Act, 1956, apply to members of the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas. When the 1956 Civil Service legislation was introduced it was intended that it should be followed at an early date by a Bill dealing comprehensively with the staffing of the Houses of the Oireachtas. Accordingly the 1956 legislation provides that it will apply to members of the staff of the Houses for not more than two years. It has, unfortunately, taken longer than was anticipated to get the proposed Bill ready but it is expected that it will be introduced within the coming year.
The opportunity of amending legislation is being taken to remove two minor difficulties of interpretation which have come to light in the administration of the 1956 Acts. The first amendment is designed to remove certain doubts as to the scope of the section dealing with tghe discharge of established civil servants serving on probation. The second is intended to meet certain queries which have been raised as to the tenure of office of certain temporary civil servants who recruited to what are known as "excluded positions". Positions of this kind are covered by order made by the Civil Service Commissioners the effect of which is to permit recruitment to the positions otherwise than through competition conducted by the commissioners.
I could, perhaps, take these matters in more detail when we reach the Committee Stage.