Vol. 577 No. 1
205 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government if regulations that apply to civil servants being prohibited from contesting local elections should apply to those working with agencies such as the Meteorological Service, the Radiological Protection Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Central Statistics Office; and the plans he has to alter these regulations. [30645/03]
Section 36 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 provides that where the director general or other director of the Environmental Protection Agency – EPA – becomes a member of a local authority, he or she ceases to be the director general or a director of the agency. Where an employee of the agency becomes a member of a local authority, he or she is released on unpaid special leave for the period of membership.
A person who is for the time being a member of a local authority is disqualified from becoming the director general or a director of the EPA or an employee of the agency. Section 11(5) of the Radiological Protection Act 1991 provides that the chief executive officer of the Radiological Protection Institute shall not hold any other office or position without the consent of the institute. The terms and conditions of employment of other employees are determined by the institute and they cannot take up other duties without the approval of the institute.
It is not proposed to amend these provisions. Relevant criteria for civil servants, including staff of the Meteorological Service and the Central Statistics Office, are a matter for the Minister for Finance.
