14.—(1) The Commission shall consist of at least one but not more than 3 members.

F20[(2) Each member of the Commission shall be known as a Commissioner for Railway Regulation and is in this Act referred to as a “commissioner”.]

(3) The person who holds, immediately before the establishment day, the position of Chief Railway Inspecting Officer of the Minister, shall, subject to his accepting such period for his holding office on such terms and conditions as fixed under subsection (5), on the establishment day, become and be a commissioner and is deemed appointed under this subsection.

(4) A commissioner (other than the person referred to in subsection (3)) shall be appointed by the Minister.

(5) A commissioner shall be appointed to hold office in a full-time capacity for a period of not less than 3 years and not more than 7 years on such terms and conditions, including remuneration, as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, may fix.

(6) Where there is more than one commissioner, the Minister shall appoint one of them to be chairperson of the Commission on such terms and conditions, including remuneration, as the Minister may fix, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, to hold office in a full-time capacity for a period of not less than 3 and not more than 7 years.

(7) The chairperson shall have a casting vote in the case of decisions to be taken by the Commission in the event of a tied vote.

(8) Where the chairperson is unavailable to perform his or her duties, he or she, or if he or she is unable to do so, the Minister, shall appoint a commissioner to be an acting chairperson to assume the duties of the chairperson for a defined period not exceeding 12 months.

(9) With the exception of the person appointed under subsection (3), a person shall not be appointed as a commissioner unless the Public Appointments Service, after holding a competition on behalf of the Commission, have selected him or her for appointment as a commissioner.

(10) A commissioner, including the chairperson, whose term of office expires by effluxion of time shall be eligible for re-appointment to serve a second term, subject to a limit of serving no more than 12 years on the Commission.

(11) A commissioner shall not be entitled to serve more than 2 terms of office.

(12) A commissioner may—

(a) at any time resign his or her office by letter addressed to the Minister and the resignation shall take effect from the date specified therein or upon the date of receipt of the letter, whichever is the later, and

(b) be removed from office by the Minister if, in his or her opinion, the member has become incapable through ill-health of effectively performing his or her duties or for stated misbehaviour and the Minister shall cause to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas a statement of the reasons for such removal.

(13) The Commission may act notwithstanding a vacancy in its membership.

(14) A commissioner shall not hold any other office or employment in respect of which emoluments are payable.

(15) A commissioner shall not, for a period of 12 months following his or her resignation, removal or retirement from the office of commissioner, accept any office, consultancy or employment, where he or she could or might use or disclose information of a confidential or commercially sensitive nature acquired by him or her in the exercise of the functions of the Commission.

(16) Notwithstanding subsection (15), a person who was a commissioner shall not be precluded from holding office or engagement in any employment in the Civil Service or any statutory regulatory body or from acting as a consultant to the Commission, the Minister or any other Minister of the Government on the basis that the period referred to in that subsection has not expired.

(17) No action or other proceedings shall lie or be maintainable (except in the case of wilful neglect or default) against any commissioner arising from a failure to perform or to comply with any of the functions conferred on the Commission by this Act.