17.—(1) The Agency shall consist of 15 members.

(2) The Agency shall include the chief executive appointed under section 23.

(3) The members of the Agency (other than the chief executive) shall be appointed by the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

(4) The Minister shall designate one member of the Agency as chairperson.

(5) The Minister, when appointing a member (other than the chairperson) of the Agency, shall fix such member's period of membership which shall not exceed 3 years, and, subject to this section, membership shall be on such terms as the Minister determines.

(6) The ordinary members of the Agency shall include—

(a) 2 persons nominated by the Minister for Health and Children, at least one of whom shall be an officer of the Health Service Executive,

(b) 2 persons nominated by the President of the Dublin Institute of Technology,

(c) one person nominated by the City Manager of Dublin City Council,

(d) one person being a resident of the Grangegorman neighbourhood who was selected in accordance with Schedule 4, and

(e) one elected public representative being a member of Dublin City Council and nominated by Dublin City Council.

(7) There may be paid to members of the Agency, out of moneys at the disposal of the Agency, such allowances for expenses incurred by them as the Minister, with the consent of the Minster for Finance, may determine.

(8) Each member of the Agency shall hold office on such terms (other than the payment of remuneration and allowances for expenses) as the Minister determines at the time of his or her appointment.

(9) A member of the Agency may resign from the Agency by letter addressed to the Minister and the resignation shall take effect on the date specified therein or upon receipt of the letter by the Minster, whichever is the later.

(10) A member of the Agency may at any time be removed from membership of the Agency 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 Agency of its functions.

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

(a) is adjudicated bankrupt,

(b) makes a composition or arrangement with creditors,

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

(d) is convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty, or

(e) is disqualified or restricted from being a director of any company.

(12) If a member of the Agency dies, resigns, becomes disqualified or is removed from office or for any other reason ceases to be a member of the Agency, the Minister may appoint a person to be a member of the Agency to fill the casual vacancy so occasioned and the person so appointed shall be appointed for the unexpired period of the term of membership of, and in the same manner as, the member of the Agency who occasioned the casual vacancy.

(13) A member of the Agency whose period of membership expires by the effluxion of time shall be eligible for re-appointment as a member of the Agency.

(14) Subject to section 19(3), the Agency may act notwithstanding one or more vacancies in its membership.

(15) In appointing persons to be members of the Agency, the Minister shall insofar as is practicable and having regard to relevant experience, ensure that at least 40 per cent of the members appointed to the Agency are men and at least 40 per cent of the members appointed to the Agency are women.