S.I. No. 46/1948:

OIREACHTAS (TRAVELLING FACILITIES TO MEMBERS) REGULATIONS, 1948.

OIREACHTAS (TRAVELLING FACILITIES TO MEMBERS) REGULATIONS, 1948.

WHEREAS it is enacted by section 2 of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) (Amendment) Act, 1947 (No. 23 of 1947) that each of the following shall be travelling facilities for the purposes of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act, 1938 (No. 34 of 1938), that is to say :--

(a) the provision of free first-class railway travelling,

(b) the repayment of fare paid for travelling in any public omnibus or similar public conveyance,

(c) the repayment of expenses of travelling in the member's own motor car at such mileage rates as may from time to time be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance,

(d) the repayment of such other travelling expenses as the Minister for Finance shall be satisfied were reasonably incurred :

AND WHEREAS it is enacted by subsection (3) of section 4 of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act, 1938 (No. 34 of 1938) that the travelling facilities to be granted to each member of the Oireachtas shall be provided and paid in such manner and subject to such conditions as shall from time to time be prescribed by regulations made by the Minister for Finance (which regulations he is thereby authorised to make) after consultation with the Chairman of Dáil Eireann and the Chairman of Seanad Eireann :

NOW, THEREFORE, the Minister for Finance in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 4 of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act, 1938 (No. 34 of 1938), and of every and any other power him in this behalf enabling, hereby after consultation with the Chairman of Dáil Eireann and the Chairman of Seanad Eireann, makes the following Regulations, that is to say :--

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Oireachtas (Travelling Facilities to Members) Regulations, 1948.

2. In these Regulations--

the expression " the Minister " means the Minister for Finance ;

the expression " the Principal Act " means the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act, 1938 (No. 34 of 1938) ;

the expression " the Acts " means the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Acts, 1938 and 1947 ;

the word " member " means a member of either House of the Oireachtas ;

the expression " the appropriate officer " means--

(a) in relation to a member of Dáil, Eireann, the Clerk of Dáil Eireann,

(b) in relation to a member of Seanad Eireann, the Clerk of Seanad Eireann.

3. The free first-class railway travelling to be granted under the Acts to a member shall be provided by the issue to such member of a travelling voucher which will, under arrangements made by the Minister with the appropriate railway company, be exchangeable for a railway ticket on presentation of the voucher at the appropriate railway station.

4. Travelling vouchers shall be in such form as the Minister may from time to time direct and shall be issuable to members by the appropriate officer.

5. Applications for travelling vouchers shall be made to the appropriate officer as long as possible before the vouchers are required, and shall be made in such form as the Minister may from time to time direct.

6. Except to the extent to which they are usable, by virtue of subsection (5) of section 5 of the Principal Act, for providing free first-class railway travelling for members of Dáil Eireann, travelling vouchers issued to members of either House of the Oireachtas shall cease to be available for use as from the date of cessation, in each case, of membership of that House.

7. Subject always to the provisions of the Acts and, in particular, subsection (1) (a) (iv) of section 4 of the Principal Act, and of these Regulations, travelling vouchers shall be issued only for journeys on the route between the railway station most convenient to a member's starting point and that most convenient to his destination point and for journeys on that route to or from intermediate railway stations.

8. All claims for repayment of travelling expenses shall be made to the Minister through the appropriate officer and shall be made in such form and shall contain such particulars as the Minister may from time to time direct, and shall be accompanied by such vouchers as the Minister may from time to time require.

9. All sums payable under the Acts in respect of travelling expenses shall be paid by the Minister.

10. The Oireachtas (Travelling Facilities to Members) Regulations, 1939, are hereby revoked.

GIVEN under my Official Seal this 7th day of February, 1948.

(Signed) PROINSIAS MAC AOGÁIN,

Minister for Finance.