Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021

Amendment of Principal Act - insertion of sections 4A and 4B

3. The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following sections after section 4:

“Appointment of head of public body

4A. (1) Where for the time being no person stands appointed as the principal officer of a public body, the Government may by order designate a person to be head of the public body for the purposes of this Act.

(2) Every order under subsection (1) shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the order is passed by either such House within the next 21 days on which that House sits after the order is laid before it, the order shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

Report on performance of obligations under Act

4B. The head of a public body shall—

(a) appoint, from senior management, another member of staff of the body to oversee the performance of, and report to him or her as appropriate in relation to, the obligations of the body under this Act, and

(b) ensure that a summary of any of the matters reported to him or her in accordance with paragraph (a) is included in the annual report of the body concerned.”.