Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924

Power to Executive Council to appoint Parliamentary Secretaries.

7.—(1) The Executive Council may from time to time, on the nomination of the President of the Council, appoint so many persons, being members of the Oireachtas and not exceeding seven in number as the Executive Council shall consider necessary, to be Parliamentary Secretaries to the Executive Council or to Executive Ministers, and may at any time remove any Parliamentary Secretary so appointed.

(2) Every person appointed under the next preceding sub-section to be a Parliamentary Secretary shall continue to hold office so long only as he continues to be a member of the Oireachtas and the President of the Executive Council by whom he was nominated continues to hold office.

(3) A Minister who is not a member of the Executive Council may, with the approval of Dáil Eireann expressed by resolution, appoint a person being a member of the Dáil to be his Parliamentary Secretary and may at any time remove a Parliamentary Secretary so appointed.

(4) Every person appointed under the next preceding sub-section shall continue to hold office only so long as he continues to be a member of the Dáil and the Minister by whom he was appointed continues to hold his office.

(5) There shall be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas to each Parliamentary Secretary appointed under this Act who shall not by his appointment be declared to be appointed without salary such annual salary not exceeding in any case the annual sum of £1,200 as shall from time to time be fixed by the President of the Executive Council, with the consent of the Minister for Finance: Provided however that the total number of persons who shall at any one time be in receipt of salaries as Ministers or as Parliamentary Secretaries shall not exceed fifteen.

(6) Not more than one Parliamentary Secretary shall be appointed in respect of any one Department of State.

(7) Each of the Parliamentary Secretaries appointed under this section shall by his appointment be assigned to act as Parliamentary Secretary to the Executive Council or to a Minister and shall have such powers and perform such duties as the Executive Council or such Minister with the consent of the Executive Council (as the case may be) may from time to time delegate or assign to him.