Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Act 2006

Amendment of section 11 (transfer of rights and liabilities) of Principal Act.

7.— Section 11 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting the following after subsection (1):

“(1A) (a) The Commission shall discharge any liabilities of the Minister which arise or have arisen in respect of a person who is or was employed—

(i) as a civil servant of the State by the Commission,

(ii) as a member of the joint staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas or as an officer of Dáil Éireann or Seanad Éireann, or

(iii) by—

(I) a member of Dáil Éireann or of Seanad Éireann solely in connection with the member’s parliamentary duties, or

(II) a qualifying party for the purposes of facilitating the parliamentary activities of its elected members,

in accordance with regulations made under the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Acts 1938 to 1998 for the provision of secretarial facilities.

(b) In this subsection ‘qualifying party’ means a political party registered in the Register of Political Parties which contested the last preceding general election or any subsequent bye-elections and which had a member or members elected to Dáil Éireann or elected or nominated to Seanad Éireann at that general election or at any subsequent bye-election.”.