Secretary to the Council.

1.—The Chairperson shall, with the agreement of the Financial Services Ombudsman, designate a member of the Bureau staff to be Secretary to the Council.

Provision of services to the Council.

2.—Whenever the Chairperson requests, the Financial Services Ombudsman shall, so far as it is possible to do so, arrange for the Council to be provided with such administrative services (including technical and legal advice) as the Council requires to enable it to perform its functions.

Members of Council entitled to certain fees and allowances.

3.—Members of the Council are entitled to be paid such fees and travelling and subsistence allowances as the Minister approves. Those fees and allowances are payable out of the funds of the Bureau.

Termination of membership of Council.

4.—(1) A person ceases to be a member if the person—

(a) dies, or

(b) completes a term of office and is not reappointed, or

(c) resigns the office by notice in writing addressed to the Minister, or

(d) has, without the permission of the other members, been absent from meetings of the Council for a consecutive period of 6 months, or

(e) is, with the person’s consent, nominated as a candidate for election as a member of either House of the Oireachtas, or

(f) is, with the person’s consent, nominated as a candidate for election as a member of the European Parliament or to fill a vacancy in the membership of that Parliament, or

(g) is, with the person’s consent, nominated as a candidate for election as a member of a local authority, or

(h) is adjudged bankrupt (either in the State or elsewhere) or enters into a composition with the person’s creditors, or

(i) becomes physically or mentally incapable of performing the duties of a member, or

(j) is convicted of an offence (either in the State or elsewhere) and sentenced to serve a term of imprisonment for the offence, or

(k) is removed from office under subparagraph (2).

(2) The Minister may remove an appointed member from office—

(a) for proven misconduct or incompetence, or

(b) in order to enable the Council to function effectively.

Filling vacancy in office of member.

5.—(1) If the office of a member becomes vacant, the Minister is required to arrange for a suitably qualified person to be appointed to fill the vacancy in accordance with this Act within 60 days after the date on which the vacancy occurred.

(2) Subparagraph (1) does not apply if the term of office of the member concerned was due to expire within 60 days after the vacancy occurred.

Procedure for convening and holding meetings of Council.

6.—The procedure for convening meetings of the Council and for the conduct of business at those meetings is, subject to this Schedule, to be as determined by the Council. The Council may determine that procedure by means of rules or standing orders or by any other means.

Quorums at meetings of Council.

7.—The quorum for a meeting of the Council is a majority of the members of the Council.

Who is to preside at meetings of Council.

8.—A meeting of the Council is to be presided over by—

(a) the Chairperson, or

(b) in the absence of the Chairperson, a member elected by the members of the Council present at the meeting.

Voting at Council meetings.

9.—(1) A decision supported by a majority of the votes cast at a meeting of the Council at which a quorum is present is the decision of the Council.

(2) If the votes are equal on a motion put at a meeting of the Council, the person who is presiding at the meeting has a casting as well as a deliberative vote.

Transaction of business otherwise than at ordinary meetings.

10.—(1) The Council may, if it thinks fit, transact any of its business by the circulation of papers among all its existing members. A resolution approved in writing by a majority of those members is taken to be a decision of the Council.

(2) The Council may, if it thinks fit, transact any of its business at a meeting at which its members (or some of its members) participate by telephone, closed circuit television or other means, but only if any member who speaks on a matter being considered by the meeting can be heard by the other members. For the purposes of—

(a) the approval of a resolution under subparagraph (1), or

(b) a meeting held in accordance with subparagraph (2),

the members of the Council have the same voting rights as they have at an ordinary meeting of the Council.

(3) Papers may be circulated among Council members for the purposes of subparagraph (1) by the electronic transmission of the information in the papers concerned.]