Vocational Education (Amendment) Act, 1947

Payment of travelling expenses and allowances to members of county vocational education committees and certain subcommittees thereof and repeal of Vocational Education (Amendment) Act, 1943.

6.—(1) For the purposes of this section—

(a) the expression “county committee” means a vocational education committee of a county vocational education area;

(b) the word “residence”, in relation to a member of a county committee or an approved sub-committee of a county committee, means his ordinary place of residence;

(c) a sub-committee of a county committee shall be an approved sub-committee of such county committee, if but only if, the Minister either—

(i) has, under subsection (4) of section 1 of the Vocational Education (Amendment) Act, 1943 (No. 19 of 1943), (repealed by subsection (7) of this section) authorised the payment under the said section 1 of expenses to members of such subcommittee, or

(ii) has, on the application of such county committee, authorised the making of payments under this section to members of such sub-committee.

(2) (a) Subject to the provisions of this section, a county committee shall defray the expenses of locomotion actually incurred—

(i) by each of its members in travelling to and from meetings of such county committee, and

(ii) by each member of an approved sub-committee of such county committee in travelling to and from meetings of such approved sub-committee.

(b) No person shall be paid expenses under this subsection in respect of a meeting held at a place less than five miles by any route from his residence.

(c) The amount of expenses paid under this subsection to a person in respect of a meeting shall not exceed the amount of the expenses of locomotion which would reasonably have been incurred by him in travelling from and to his residence to and from the place of that meeting.

(3) (a) A county committee may by resolution decide that, in lieu of defraying, under subsection (2) of this section, the expenses of locomotion actually incurred by each of the members of such county committee or of an approved sub-committee of such county committee in travelling to and from the meetings of such county committee or approved sub-committee, such county committee shall pay to each such member, in respect of every such meeting which he attends at a place not less than five miles by any route from his residence, a fixed sum for every mile travelled between such place and such residence measured along the route by which such member would normally travel.

(b) A resolution passed by a county committee under paragraph (a) of this subsection may be revoked at any time by another resolution of such county committee.

(c) A resolution under paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of this subsection shall not take effect until sanctioned by the Minister.

(d) While a resolution passed by a county committee under paragraph (a) of this subsection is in force such county committee shall not defray under subsection (2) of this section the expenses of locomotion actually incurred by each of the members of such county committee or of an approved sub-committee of such county committee in travelling to and from meetings of such county committee or approved sub-committee, but, in lieu thereof, shall make payments to members attending such meetings in accordance with the terms of such resolution.

(4) (a) Where a member of a county committee or of an approved sub-committee of such county committee attends a meeting of such county committee or approved sub-committee at a place not less than three miles by any route from his residence and is obliged, by reason of such attendance, to remain away from his home for a continuous period of not less than three hours, then subject to the provisions of this subsection, such county committee shall (whether such county committee is or is not required to make, under subsection (2) or subsection (3) of this section (as the case may be) a payment to such member in respect of his attendance at such meeting, and if so required, then in addition to such payment) pay to such member an allowance in respect of such period calculated in accordance with rules which the Minister is hereby authorised to make.

(b) The rules made by the Minister for the purposes of paragraph (a) of this subsection shall make provision for preventing allowances being paid by a county committee, in respect of the same period, to a person who is a member of such county committee and also of an authorised sub-committee of such county committee.

(c) Where—

(i) a person who is a member of a local authority, within the meaning of section 67 of the Local Government Act, 1946 (No. 24 of 1946), is also a member of a county committee or an authorised sub-committee of a county committee, and

(ii) such local authority is required by subsection (7) of the said section 67 to pay to such person an allowance in respect of a particular period, and

(iii) such county committee would, but for this paragraph, be required by paragraph (a) of this subsection to pay to such person an allowance in respect of the said period,

then, no allowance shall be paid by such county committee under paragraph (a) of this subsection to such person in respect of the said period.

(5) A claim for any payment under subsection (2) or subsection (3) or subsection (4) of this section shall be made in writing and the Minister, if he so thinks fit, may direct the form to be used in making such claim.

(6) (a) A person who knowingly makes or allows to be made a false statement for the purpose of obtaining a payment under this section for himself or another shall be guilty of an offence under this section, and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or, at the discretion of the Court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year.

(b) A person who is convicted of an offence under this section shall thereafter be disqualified from being elected or being a member of a vocational education committee or a sub-committee thereof, or of a body which is a local authority for any of the purposes of the Local Government Acts, 1925 to 1946, as amended by an enactment passed after the passing of this Act, or of a council established by law in respect of a county or other borough or a committee of such council, and shall also be disqualified from holding an office or employment under a vocational education committee or such a body, council, or committee as aforesaid.

(7) The Vocational Education (Amendment) Act, 1943 (No. 19 of 1943), is hereby repealed.