National Agricultural Advisory, Education and Research Authority Act, 1977

SECOND SCHEDULE

Provisions Relating to the Board

Section 25 .

Term of office of members.

1. (1) Eight members of the Board to be established on the commencement of section 25 shall be appointed for a period of three years, a further eight members shall be appointed for a period of four years and the remaining members for a period of five years.

(2) The members to be appointed for the several periods of three years, four years and five years shall be determined by lot.

(3) Except as provided in subparagraph (1) the term of office of a member of the Board shall, subject to paragraphs 5 and 6, be five years.

Eligibility of outgoing members.

2. A member of the Board whose term of office expires by effluxion of time shall be eligible for re-appointment.

Resignation.

3. A member of the Board may resign his office as such member by letter sent by post to the Minister, and the resignation shall take effect on the date which is one month after the date of the receipt of the letter, if the resignation is not previously withdrawn in writing.

Removal.

4. The Minister may at any time remove a member of the Board from office.

Disqualification.

5. (1) Where a member of the Board is nominated as a member of Seanad Éireann or for election to either House of the Oireachtas, he shall, on accepting nomination as a member of Seanad Éireann or on nomination for such election (as the case may be), cease to be a member of the Board.

(2) Any person who is for the time being entitled under the Standing Orders of either House of the Oireachtas to sit therein shall, while so entitled, be disqualified from becoming a member of the Board.

(3) A member of the Board shall be disqualified from holding and shall cease to hold office if he is adjudged bankrupt or makes a composition or arrangement with creditors or is sentenced by a court of competent jurisdiction to suffer imprisonment or penal servitude or ceases to be ordinarily resident in the State.

Casual vacancies.

6. (1) A casual vacancy occurring among the members of the Board shall be filled by appointment by the Minister in accordance with an order under section 26.

(2) A person appointed under this paragraph shall hold office for the remainder of the term for which his predecessor was appointed.

Meetings.

7. (1) The Board shall hold at least three meetings in every year which commences after the commencement of section 25.

(2) The Board shall hold special meetings at any time at the request of the chairman or eight other members of the Board.

Procedure.

8. (1) The quorum for a meeting of the Board shall be eight.

(2) At a meeting of the Board—

(a) the chairman shall, if present, be chairman of the meeting,

(b) if and so long as the chairman is not present or if the office of chairman is vacant, the members of the Board who are present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

(3) Every question at a meeting of the Board shall be determined by a majority of the votes of the members present and voting on the question and, in the case of an equal division of votes, the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

(4) The Board may act notwithstanding one or more vacancies among its members.

(5) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Board shall regulate, by standing orders or otherwise, the procedure and business of the Board and of the committees appointed under section 29.