S.I. No. 173/2007 - Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Travelling Facilities and Overnight Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations 2007

S.I. No. 173 of 2007

REGULATIONS

entitled

Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Travelling Facilities and Overnight Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations 2007

Made by the Minister for Finance

S.I. No. 173 of 2007

Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Travelling Facilities and Overnight Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations 2007

I, Brian Cowen TD, Minister for Finance, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 1 (inserted by section 2 of the Oireachtas (Miscellaneous Provisions) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices (Amendment) Act 1996 (No. 39 of 1996), as amended by section 15 of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act 1998 (No. 5 of 1998) (“the Act of 1988”)) and 3 (as amended by section 17 of the Act of 1998) of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act 1962 (No. 32 of 1962), and the Public Service (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 1987 (S.I. No. 81 of 1987), and section 5 (as amended by section 18 of the Act of 1998) of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices (Amendment) Act 1964), and the Order aforesaid, hereby make the following regulations:

1.         (1)        These Regulations may be cited as the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Travelling Facilities and Overnight Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations 2007.

(2)        These Regulations are deemed to have come into operation on 1 January 2004.

2.         The Oireachtas (Allowance to Members) (Travelling Facilities and Overnight Allowance) Regulations 1998 (S.I. No. 101 of 1998), are amended in Regulation 10, by inserting the following after paragraph (2):

“(3)        Where a claim is made to the appropriate authority otherwise than in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), the appropriate authority shall submit the claim to the Minister for Finance who, if he or she considers that due to extraordinary circumstances there are good and sufficient reasons for the payment, may approve the payment.”.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations and does not purport to be a legal interpretation)

Under the arrangements introduced in 1999 Members of the Oireachtas have to submit their travel and overnight expenses for attendance at Leinster House within 365 days from the day on which they became payable. This Regulation allows the Minister for Finance to approve bona fide late claims in exceptional circumstances.