James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No.5a:

In page 6, between lines 41 and 42 to insert the following:“(5) For the purposes of subsection (3) and section 16B (4), a person shall be considered as holding the grade of national director or other grade in the Executive which is not less senior than the grade of national director, where that person stands appointed to a post at such grade on a temporary or acting basis for so long as that appointment subsists.".

The rationale for this is that the Bill provides that members of the HSE directorate are referred to as appointed directors and that only HSE employees in the grade of national director, or other not less-senior grade, are eligible to be appointed to be directors. We must, however, allow for all eventualities, including where an employee may be acting in the relevant grade on a temporary basis but his or her substantive grade is less senior. Amendment No.5a addresses this, in line with legal advice. I hope the Deputies can accept this amendment, which is technical in nature.

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