Chapter II

Designated Industrial Activities

23. —(1) For the purpose of making better provision for the training of persons employed or intending to be employed in any activity of industry An Chomhairle may make an order (in this Act referred to as an Industrial Training Order) declaring the activity to be a designated industrial activity for the purposes of this Act.

(2) Before making an industrial training order An Chomhairle shall make such inquiries as it thinks proper and consult any organisation or association of organisations appearing to it to be representative of substantial numbers of employers in the activity and any organisation or association of organisations appearing to it to be representative of substantial numbers of persons employed in the activity.

(3) An Chomhairle may by order revoke or amend an order under this section (including an order under this subsection).

(4) Every order under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the order is passed by either such House within the next twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the order is laid before it, the order shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

24. —(1) Where An Chomhairle makes an order under section 23 of this Act declaring an activity of industry to be a designated industrial activity, An Chomhairle shall by order, unless An Chomhairle considers that it would be impracticable to do so, either establish an industrial training committee, or declare an organisation which An Chomhairle considers suitable and which complies with the requirements of subsection (2) of this section to be an industrial training committee, to advise and assist An Chomhairle as respects the performance by An Chomhairle of its functions in relation to the activity.

(2) No organisation shall be declared to be an industrial training committee under this section unless it is representative both of substantial numbers of employers in the relevant designated industrial activity and of substantial numbers of persons employed in such activity.

(3) The provisions of the Second Schedule to this Act shall have effect with respect to an industrial training committee established under this section and subject to subsection (5) of this section, the provisions of articles 5 and 6 of the said Schedule shall have effect with respect to an organisation declared to be an industrial training committee under this section.

(4) An order under this section shall, as respects an industrial training committee established by it—

(a) specify that the committee shall consist of a chairman and a specified number of ordinary members,

(b) provide that An Chomhairle shall appoint a person to be the chairman of the Committee and that he shall be a person who is not representative of either workers' or employers' interests,

(c) provide that the ordinary members shall include a specified number of workers' members, a specified number of employers' members, (which shall be equal to the specified number of workers' members), a specified number of educational members and a specified number of other ordinary members,

(d) provide that An Chomhairle shall—

(i) after consultation with the Minister, invite, in respect of each workers' member an organisation representative of trade unions of workers to nominate a person for appointment as a workers' member and shall appoint each person so nominated to be a workers' member,

(ii) after consultation with the Minister, invite an organisation or organisations representative of employers to nominate persons for appointment as employers' members and shall appoint the appropriate number specified in the order from the persons so nominated to be the employers' members,

(iii) after consultation with the Minister for Education, appoint the appropriate number of persons specified in the order to be the educational members,

(iv) after consultation with such organisations as An Chomhairle considers suitable, appoint the appropriate number of persons specified in the order to be the other ordinary members,

(e) provide for the term of office of the members, and

(f) provide for such other matters as An Chomhairle considers necessary for the proper performance by the committee of its functions.

(5) If An Chomhairle thinks fit, an order under this section may, as respects an organisation declared by it to be an industrial training committee, provide for either or both of the following—

(a) that as respects the chairman of the committee the provisions of Article 5 of the Second Schedule to this Act shall not apply,

(b) that as respects each member of the committee the provisions of Article 6 of the said Second Schedule shall not apply,

and in case provision is made under this subsection as respects the non-application of the said Articles 5 or 6, either or both of the said Articles, as may be appropriate, shall accordingly not apply.

(6) An Chomhairle may appoint one of its officers to act as secretary of an industrial training committee.

(7) An Chomhairle may by order amend or revoke an order under this section (including an order under this subsection).

25. —(1) An industrial training committee may in accordance with proposals submitted to and approved by An Chomhairle—

(a) appoint committees (which need not include members of the industrial training committee);

(b) join with one or more other industrial training committees in appointing joint committees consisting of such persons (whether or not members of an industrial training committee) as may be determined by the industrial training committees;

and delegate to any such committee, to such extent, whether in whole or in part, as may be stated in the proposals, the function conferred on the industrial training committee by section 24 of this Act.

(2) The chairman of a committee appointed under this section shall be paid, out of moneys at the disposal of An Chomhairle, such fee (if any) for attendance at meetings of the committee as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, determines, and in the absence of the chairman from a meeting of the committee, the fee (if any) that would be payable to him may, if An Chomhairle thinks fit, be paid to the person who acts as chairman of the meeting.

(3) Each member of a committee appointed under this section shall be paid, out of moneys at the disposal of An Chomhairle, such allowances (if any) for expenses incurred by him as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, may sanction.

(4) Subject to any directions of the industrial training committee or committees which appointed it, a committee appointed under this section shall regulate, by standing orders or otherwise, the procedure and business of the committee.

26. —An Chomhairle may by notice in writing served on any person who is an employer in a designated industrial activity, require the person—

(a) to furnish to An Chomhairle within a specified period such specified returns or other specified information,

(b) to keep and produce for examination on behalf of An Chomhairle such records of a specified kind,

as appear to An Chomhairle to be necessary for performing its functions.