The Government, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 3A (inserted by section 40 of the Ministerial, Parliamentary and Judicial Offices and Oireachtas Members (Ministerial Provisions) Act 2001 (No. 33 of 2001) ("Act of 2001")), 4 and 8 (as amended by section 43 of the Act of 2001) of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act 1998 (No. 5 of 1998), hereby order as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the Oireachtas (Allowances) (Chairpersons of Oireachtas Committees and Certain Ministers of State) Order 2015.

2. There is payable to a member of the Oireachtas who holds or held the position of chairperson of an Oireachtas Committee specified in the Schedule at any reference number from 1 to 16, an annual allowance, in respect of the member’s duties as holder of that position, at the rate specified in column (3) of the Schedule opposite that reference number, in respect of any period beginning on or after 19 June 2012, or on or after 12 July 2012 in the case of a member of the Oireachtas who holds or held the position of chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee specified in the Schedule at reference number 12, during which the member held that position.

3. There is payable to a member of the Oireachtas who holds or held the position of chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee specified in the Schedule at reference number 17, an annual allowance, in respect of the member’s duties as holder of that position, at the rate specified in column (3) of the Schedule opposite that reference number, in respect of any period beginning on or after 14 May 2014, during which the member held that position.

4. There is payable to-

(a) Paul Kehoe, Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and at the Department of Defence, for any period beginning on or after 9 March 2011, and

(b) Gerald Nash, Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, for any period beginning on or after 11 July 2014,

as the holders of those offices, respectively, who regularly attend meetings of the Government, an annual allowance each at the rate of €15,829.

5. The Oireachtas (Allowances) (Chairpersons of Oireachtas Committees) Order 2011 ( S.I. No. 530 of 2011 ) and the Oireachtas (Allowances) (Certain Ministers of State) Order 2012 ( S.I. No. 28 of 2012 ) are revoked.

SCHEDULE

Regulation 2 and 3

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Government,

8 January 2015.

ENDA KENNY,

Taoiseach.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation)

This Order provides for the payment of an allowance to the two Ministers of State who currently attend meetings of the Government, and also to the chairpersons of the Oireachtas committees specified in the Schedule. The Order as it relates to the committee chairpersons applies retrospectively from June 2012 in some cases to reflect the reconfiguration of certain committees which occurred at that time and, consequently, the rates specified in the Schedule at reference numbers 1 to 16 are the rates applicable in 2012. Following the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013 , the rates were reduced with effect from 1 July 2013 and the reduction has applied to all payments arising after that date.