Vol. 54 No. 4
I move amendment A:
In page 4, Section 9, line 16, after the figure "6" to insert the figure "7".
The necessity for this amendment arises from the fact that each member of the county council will be a member of the board of health for the county health district which he represents on the council. The vacating of the membership of the board of health will entail termination of his membership of the county council. It is merely a drafting amendment.
I move amendment B:—
In page 4, Section 9 (2) (a), line 25, to delete the word "triennial" and to insert before the word "members" the word "the."
This is consequential on an amendment inserted in Committee Stage to Section 6 (2).
In the absence of Deputy T. Murphy, I move amendment No. 1:—
In page 9, Section 22 (2) (a), line 24, after the word "districts" and in Section 22 (2) (b), line 29, after the word "district" to insert in each line the words and brackets "(or in the service of the council)."
The object of the amendment is to clarify what has already been set down in the section.
The object of these amendments in the name of Deputy Murphy is to enable officers in the service of existing boards of health to be provided for in the service of the county council where they cannot be absorbed as members of the staffs of the new boards of health. The official amendment covers the points raised by Deputy Murphy, and I would ask Deputy Keyes to withdraw Deputy Murphy's amendments.
I agree.
I move amendment No. 1a:—
In page 9, Section 22 (2), line 29, after the word "district" to insert the words "or in the service of the council"; in section 22 (3), page 9, lines 31 and 32, to delete the words "or appointed to," in line 32, after the word "district" to insert the words "or is appointed to an office in the service of any such board or in the service of the Council," and in line 37, after the word "district" to insert the words "or in the service of the council."
We in Cork welcome this Bill. I would like to avail of this occasion to correct any false impression that may have been created during the short discussions that took place earlier. The impression seems to have got abroad that the Cork County Council was an exceptional sinner because of the way it selected its committees; in other words, that it was entirely biassed in the selections made because a certain political Party formed the majority on it. I want to say that if that were so—the position is one which I challenge, although such statements have been made here— it would, if you like, be simply returning the compliment made by a certain section of the Cork Corporation. I would ask the Minister to consider introducing a measure similar to this in relation to other public bodies because I regard the principle underlying it as a very good one. It so happens at the moment that a certain political Party, because they have a majority on the Cork Corporation, have the appointment of certain committees, some of them of an administrative character. If the principle enshrined in this measure were applied a little more generally it would be very acceptable in various quarters of the Cork Corporation, because the recent elections proved that those in opposition to the Fianna Fáil Party there secured the largest number of votes. Yet, notwithstanding that fact, not one of them was elected to a position on the various committees administered by the Cork Corporation. I would suggest to the Parliamentary Secretary that he should inform the Minister for Local Government that, in my opinion, this will be a very popular measure so far as it relates to Cork County. I would suggest that he should go further and make it applicable to the Cork Corporation and other municipal bodies.
