I move amendment No. 47 (c):—
In sub-section (1), page 25, to add the following paragraph to the sub-section:
(d) the following paragraphs shall be added to sub-section (7) of the said Section 67:
Where—
(i) a member of the council of a county or of a joint mental hospital board attends a meeting of the council or board at a place less than five miles by any route from his official residence, and
(ii) a resolution by the council or board deciding that this paragraph is to apply in relation to the council or board is for the time being in force,
the council or board shall pay to the member in relation to the meeting an inclusive allowance (not exceeding an amount specified by the prescribed rules) in respect of travelling expenses and subsistence, and such allowance shall, in a case in which, apart from this paragraph, an allowance would be payable under the first paragraph of this sub-section, be in lieu of, and not in addition to, that allowance.
A resolution under the second paragraph of this sub-section may be revoked at any time by another resolution of the council or board concerned.
The passing of a resolution under the second or third paragraph of this sub-section shall be a reserved function.
This is an amendment which was approved some time ago and the main purpose of which is to provide for the amendment of Section 67 of the Local Government Act, 1946, to provide that where a county council or joint mental hospital board so decides by resolution for the payment to any member residing within five miles of the place of meeting, when attendance at the meeting necessitates absence from his home for not less than three hours, of an inclusive allowance not exceeding a prescribed amount to cover travelling expenses and subsistence in lieu of, and not in addition to, any subsistence allowance to which the member might otherwise be entitled.
The amendment arose out of representations made by various county councils, and all round the country, and it refers particularly to persons living in towns in which county council meetings are held and where they are not entitled to travelling allowances or subsistence expenses. This amendment merely provides for their subsistence.