Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

"Iris Oifigiúil" of 16th December, 2014.

The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by section 2(1)(c) (inserted by section 3 of the Oireachtas (Miscellaneous Provisions) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices (Amendment) Act 1996 (No. 39 of 1996)) of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act 1962 (No. 32 of 1962), and by section 4 (3) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003 (No. 28 of 2003), hereby make the following regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Secretarial Facilities) (Banking Inquiry) Regulations 2014.

2. These Regulations are applicable to any member who is a member of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis that has been established following a resolution of Dáil Éireann on the 25th November 2014 and of Seanad Éireann on the 26th November 2014 pursuant to Part 2 of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013 (hereinafter referred to as the "Joint Committee") for such time as the member is a member of the Joint Committee.

3. In these Regulations-

"member of the Joint Committee" means a member of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis as described in Regulation 2.

4. Each member of the Joint Committee is entitled for the duration of his or her membership of the Joint Committee to additional secretarial facilities consisting of one of the following:

(i) one parliamentary assistant working full-time or such number of parliamentary assistants working part-time as are equivalent to one parliamentary assistant working full-time, or

(ii) one secretarial assistant working full-time or such number of secretarial assistants working part-time as are equivalent to one secretarial assistant working full-time.

5. (i) Each member of the Joint Committee is entitled for the duration of his or her membership of the Joint Committee to one additional suite of computer equipment as specified in the Schedule.

(ii) In the case of work sharing arrangements, referred to in Regulation 4, a maximum of one additional suite of computer equipment, as specified in the Schedule may be issued to the member.

6. (i) Persons on unpaid leave, career breaks or secondment to other employment shall not be reckoned in the number of persons employed under these Regulations.

(ii) Persons employed as substitutes for persons providing secretarial facilities, including a substitute who remains employed for a period of time upon the return of a person providing secretarial facilities, such period being determined by the Commission, shall not be reckoned in the number of persons employed under these Regulations.

7. A person providing secretarial facilities under these Regulations is the employee of the person to whom the facility is provided under a contract of employment made between them.

8. A person providing secretarial facilities shall provide those facilities for-

(i) a member of Dáil Éireann, in Leinster House, or in or nearby the member’s constituency, or at or nearby the member’s residence,

(ii) a member of Seanad Éireann, in Leinster House, or at or nearby the member’s residence,

in accordance with the wishes of the member and secretarial facilities consisting of equipment may be provided by the Commission for location outside Leinster House to the extent necessary to give effect to this Regulation.

9. These Regulations will cease to have effect after the final report of the Joint Committee has been finalised, after the termination of the Joint Committee or on the dissolution of the 31st Dáil, whichever is the earlier.

SCHEDULE

Regulation 5

A suite of computer equipment consists of the following equipment for use only by the member concerned or by persons employed or engaged under these Regulations to provide secretarial facilities to the member:

(a) A computer (desktop PC or laptop) which may be linked to the network of the Houses of the Oireachtas.

(b) Access to a printer, or a multi-function print/scan/copy device which may be a part of the integrated system for the transmission and receipt of fax messages.

(c) An e-mail account on the Houses of the Oireachtas network.

(d) Internet Access.

(e) An encrypted USB memory stick.

(f) A hardware, software or SMS-based multi-factor authentication token.

(g) A telephone handset (with connectivity for local, national, mobile and international calls but excluding calls to premium rate numbers other than directory enquiry services, and with voicemail facilities where required).

The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Seal,

Affixed hereto

Was authenticated by

Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission:

11 December 2014.

SEÁN BARRETT,

Ceann Comhairle.

Member of staff of the Commission authorised by the Commission

11 December 2014.

ANNE-MARIE FAHY,

Secretary to the Commission.