34. (1) Where a director of the IANS is—

(a) nominated as a member of Seanad Éireann,

(b) elected as a member of either House of the Oireachtas or to the European Parliament, or

(c) regarded, pursuant to section 15 of the Act of 1977, as having been elected to such Parliament to fill a vacancy,

he or she shall thereupon cease to be a director of the IANS.

(2) Where a person employed by the IANS is—

(a) nominated as a member of Seanad Éireann,

(b) elected as a member of either House of the Oireachtas or to the European Parliament, or

(c) regarded, pursuant to section 15 of the Act of 1977, as having been elected to Parliament to fill a vacancy,

he or she shall thereupon stand seconded from employment by the IANS and shall not be paid by, or be entitled to receive from, the IANS any remuneration or allowances in respect of the period commencing on such nomination or election, or when he or she is so regarded as having been elected, as the case may be, and ending when he or she ceases to be a member of either such House or such Parliament.

(3) A person who is for the time being entitled under the Standing Orders of either House of the Oireachtas to sit therein or who is a member of the European Parliament shall, while he or she is so entitled or is such a member, be disqualified from becoming a director of the IANS or for employment in any capacity by the IANS.

(4) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (2), that subsection shall be construed as prohibiting the reckoning of a period therein mentioned as service with the IANS for the purpose of any superannuation benefits.

(5) In this section, “Act of 1977” means the European Assembly Elections Act 1977.