Mary Henry (Independent)

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 4, subsection (1), line 19, after "exercised" to insert "and shall include any person or body certain of whose functions are functions of a public nature, but in relation to a particular act, such a person or body shall not be an organ of state if the nature of the act is private".

The intention of this amendment is to ensure that bodies which are publicly funded but privately managed, such as schools and hospitals, are included in this grouping. They serve a public purpose and should be included as organs of the State and be subject to the convention. It could be inferred from what is there already that they will be included but I feel, and I have had the advice of the Law Society on this too, that it would be wiser to accept this amendment and be quite sure that such organisations are covered.