Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1939

Temporary inability of Ministers.

7.—(1) Whenever an individual holding the office of Minister having charge of a Department of State becomes, by reason of ill-health or on account of absence from Ireland or from any other cause, temporarily unable to discharge the duties of his said office, the Government may by order made before and in contemplation of or during such temporary inability nominate another member of the Government (whether having or not having charge of a Department of State) to execute, during a specified period not exceeding the duration of such temporary inability, the office of the said individual who has so become temporarily unable to discharge the duties of that office.

(2) The Government may by order at any time while a nomination under this, section is in force revoke such nomination and, in particular, may so revoke such nomination for the purpose of making a new nomination in lieu thereof.

(3) A member of the Government who is nominated under this section to execute the office of a Minister having charge of a Department of State shall, while he is exercising that office in pursuance of such nomination, be for all purposes the Minister having charge of the said Department but may, if and whenever it appears to him to be convenient so to do, add the word “gníomhathach” or, in English, prefix the word “acting” to his title as such Minister.

(4) The nomination under this section of a member of the Government to execute the office of a Minister having charge of a Department of State shall not prejudice or affect the appointment or tenure of office of a person holding at the time of such nomination the office of parliamentary secretary to such Minister.

(5) Where an individual who becomes temporarily unable within the meaning of the first sub-section of this section to discharge the duties of his office holds office as Minister in charge oftwo or more Departments of State, different members of the Government may, where the Government so think proper, be nominated under this section to execute the office of such individual in respect of each or any of the said Departments of State.