82.—(1) There shall be established, on the appointed day, a body to be known as, in the Irish language, An Chomhairle Sábháilteachta Iarnróid, or in the English language, the Railway Safety Advisory Council, and in this Act referred to as the “Council”, to perform the functions assigned to it under this Part.

(2) The Council shall consist of 14 members.

(3) Members of the Council shall comprise—

(a) a chairperson who, in the opinion of the Minister, has appropriate experience and expertise, and is sufficiently independent from F110[railway organisation]s and from persons representing the staff of undertakings and from the Commission,

(b) at least 4 persons representing F110[railway organisation]s, of which one will represent F110[railway organisation] s which in the opinion of the Minister are heritage railways,

(c) at least 3 persons from organisations which represent staff of F110[railway organisation]s,

(d) at least one person who in the opinion of the Minister represents the public interest,

(e) at least one person representing a body established by or under statute involved in the regulation of worker safety or public safety,

(f) at least one person from an organisation representing the interests of mobility-impaired persons, and

(g) at least one person with particular expertise relevant to railway safety but not being a person from an organisation in paragraph (b) or (c) or from the Commission.

(4) An organisation or person may, at its own initiative or at the request of the Minister, nominate a person to be a member of the Council, and the Minister in making an appointment under subsection (5), shall have regard, in so far as is practicable, to any nominations received by him or her under this subsection.

(5) The Minister shall appoint persons to be members of the Council, including a person to be chairperson of the Council, and an appointment under this section shall be for such period not exceeding 3 years as may be specified by the Minister when appointing such persons, and shall be on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

(6) A member of the Council shall be paid, out of monies at the disposal of the Commission, such allowances for expenses as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, may determine.

(7) A member of the Council whose term of office expires by the effluxion of time shall be eligible for re-appointment.

(8) The Minister, in appointing members of the Council shall ensure, in as far as is practicable, an equitable balance between men and women in any appointments.

(9) The Commission shall provide all reasonable facilities and services as may be required by the Council for the carrying out of its functions.

(10) The Council may act notwithstanding a vacancy or vacancies in its membership.

(11) The Council may regulate, by standing orders or otherwise, its procedure and business.

(12) The Minister shall fix the date, time and place of the first meeting of the Council and the members of the Council shall decide on the frequency of all further meetings, subject to the Council meeting at least once each year.

(13) A member of the Council may resign from office by letter addressed to the Minister.

(14) The Minister may remove from office a member of the Council in the following circumstances—

(a) where, in the opinion of the Minister, he or she has become incapable through ill-health of effectively performing his or her duties,

(b) for stated misbehaviour,

(c) in the case of a person appointed to represent an organisation, a body or a class of persons under subsection (3), where the person is no longer such a representative, or

(d) where his or her removal appears to the Minister to be necessary or desirable for the effective performance by the Council of its functions.

(15) The Minister may, after consultation with the Council, make regulations on any matter which the Minister considers expedient for the purposes of this section.

(16) A commissioner (or if membership is vacant, the deputy commissioner) may attend and be heard at meetings of the Council but may not vote on any matter being considered by the Council.