18B. —(1) The Advisory Committee shall consist of the following members—

(a) a Chairperson, and

(b) not less than 5 and not more than 10 ordinary members,

each of whom shall be appointed by the Minister.

(2) The Minister shall designate one member of the Advisory Committee as Chairperson, and the person so designated shall be a person who is competent in the Irish language.

(3) The ordinary members of the Advisory Committee shall include—

(a) one member nominated by the Minister as a representative of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht,

(b) one member nominated by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as a representative of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform,

(c) one member nominated by the Public Appointments Service as a representative of the Public Appointments Service,

(d) not more than 6 other members nominated by public bodies as representatives of such public bodies as the Minister considers appropriate,

(e) one member, who shall be competent in the Irish language, nominated by the Minister, following a process established by the Public Appointments Service, as a representative of Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas, and

(f) one member, who shall be competent in the Irish language, nominated by the Minister, following a process established by the Public Appointments Service, as a representative of areas of the State that are not Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas.

(4) A member of the Advisory Committee shall be subject to such terms and conditions and be paid such allowances for expenses as the Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, determine.

(5) If the Chairperson is for any reason unable to continue to act as Chairperson, the Minister may designate another member of the Advisory Committee to act as Chairperson.

(6) A member of the Advisory Committee shall hold office for such period not exceeding 6 years from the date of his or her appointment, as the Minister shall determine.

(7) Subject to subsection (8), a member of the Advisory Committee whose term of office expires by the effluxion of time shall be eligible for reappointment to the Advisory Committee.

(8) A member of the Advisory Committee who has served 2 consecutive terms of office shall not be eligible for reappointment to the Advisory Committee until a period of 6 years has elapsed following the end of the second consecutive term.

(9) A member of the Advisory Committee may resign from the Advisory Committee by letter addressed to the Minister, and the resignation shall take effect on the date specified in the letter, or the date on which the Minister receives the letter, whichever is the later.

(10) A member of the Advisory Committee may at any time be removed from membership of the Advisory Committee by the Minister if, in the Minister’s opinion, the member has become incapable through ill-health of performing his or her functions, or has committed stated misbehaviour, or his or her removal appears to the Minister to be necessary for the effective performance by the Advisory Committee of its functions.

(11) A member of the Advisory Committee shall cease to be, and shall be disqualified from being, a member of the Advisory Committee where such member—

(a) on conviction on indictment by a court of competent jurisdiction is sentenced to a term of imprisonment, or

(b) is subject or is deemed to be subject to a disqualification order, within the meaning of Chapter 4 of Part 14 of the Companies Act 2014, whether by virtue of that Chapter or any other provision of that Act.

(12) The Minister shall determine the procedures of the Advisory Committee.]