We now come to amendment No. 120. Amendment No. 120a is an alternative, therefore, they may be discussed together.
SECTION 33.
I move amendment No. 120:
In page 28, lines 28 to 47 and in page 29, lines 1 to 16, to delete subsections (1) and (2) and substitute the following:
"(1) Where a member of the Authority—
(a) accepts nomination as a member of Seanad Éireann, or
(b) is elected to either House of the Oireachtas or to the European Parliament, or
(c) is regarded pursuant to section 15 (inserted by the European Assembly Elections Act, 1984) of the European Assembly Act, 1977, as having been elected to such Parliament to fill a vacancy,
he shall thereupon cease to be a member of the Authority.
(2) Where a person employed by the Authority—
(a) accepts nomination as a member of Seanad Éireann, or
(b) is elected to either House of the Oireachtas or to the European Parliament, or
(c) is regarded pursuant to section 15 (inserted by the European Assembly Elections Act, 1984) of the European Assembly Elections Act, 1977, as having been elected to such Parliament to fill a vacancy,
he shall thereupon stand seconded from employment by the Authority and shall not be paid by, or be entitled to receive from, the Authority any remuneration or allowances in respect of the period commencing on such acceptance, or election, as the case may be, and ending when he ceases to be a member of either such House or such Parliament.".
The changes proposed in my amendment are to ensure that board members have to resign from the Authority and employees have to stand seconded from the National Roads Authority once elected to the Dáil, Seanad or European Parliament. The Bill as published required resignation or secondment once a person was nominated as a candidate.
My amendment also provides that the person nominated by the Taoiseach to Seanad Éireann will have to resign or stand seconded only on acceptance of such nomination.
My amendment No. 120a reads:
In page 28, lines 28 to 36, to delete subsection (1).
This amendment deals with the composition I was proposing for membership of the Authority — representatives of the General Council of County Councils and the Association of Municipal Authorities and other bodies — and what would happen if some of these representatives were elected to the Dáil or the Seanad. It seems incongruous that they would have to surrender their membership of the National Roads Authority. It portrays a different idea of how the membership of the Authority should be composed.
Amendment agreed to.
Amendment No. 120a not moved.
Section 33, as amended, agreed to.