Seanad amendments Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, and Nos. 6 to 11, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together.
Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024: From the Seanad
The Dáil went into Committee to consider amendments from the Seanad.
Seanad amendment No. 1:
Section 8: In page 5, to delete lines 24 and 25 and substitute “Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 2:
Section 9: In page 6, to delete lines 7 and 8 and substitute “the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, may determine.”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 3:
Section 9: In page 7, to delete line 9 and substitute “Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 4:
Section 12: In page 9, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following:
“Insertion of sections 16A and 16B into Act of 2012
12.The Act of 2012 is amended by the insertion of the following sections after section 16:
“Staff of Microfinance Ireland
16A.(1) Microfinance Ireland may, with the approval of the Minister and the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, appoint such and so many persons to be members of the staff of Microfinance Ireland as it from time to time considers appropriate.
(2) The grades of the staff of Microfinance Ireland and the numbers of staff in each grade shall be determined by Microfinance Ireland with the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
(3) The staff of Microfinance Ireland shall be employed on such terms and conditions as may be determined by Microfinance Ireland from time to time subject to the approval of the Minister and the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
(4) There shall be paid by Microfinance Ireland to the members of its staff such remuneration and allowances for expenses as may be determined by Microfinance Ireland with the approval of the Minister and the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
(5) Where a member of staff of Microfinance Ireland is—
(a) nominated as a member of Seanad Éireann,
(b) elected as a member of either House of the Oireachtas or to be a member of the European Parliament,
(c) regarded pursuant to Part XIII of the Second Schedule to the European Parliament Elections Act 1997 as having been elected to the European Parliament, or
(d) elected or co-opted as a member of a local authority, he or she shall stand seconded from employment by Microfinance Ireland and shall not be paid by, or be entitled to receive from, Microfinance Ireland any remuneration or allowances for expenses in respect of the period commencing on such nomination, election or co-option, as the case may be, and ending when such person ceases to be a member of either such House, member of such Parliament or member of a local authority.
(6) A period of secondment referred to in subsection (5) shall not, for the purposes of any superannuation benefit, be reckoned as service with Microfinance Ireland.
Existing staff of Microfinance Ireland
16B. (1) Each person who was a member of staff of Microfinance Ireland immediately before the appointed day shall, on the appointed day, be deemed to be a member of staff of Microfinance Ireland for the period remaining unexpired (if any) under the contract of employment under which he or she was employed by Microfinance Ireland as if he or she had been appointed under section 16A.
(2) A person referred to in subsection (1) shall be subject to such terms and conditions of service, including terms and conditions relating to remuneration, as are not less favourable than the terms and conditions of service, including terms and conditions relating to remuneration, to which the person was subject immediately before the appointed day.
(3) In subsection (2), the reference to terms and conditions relating to remuneration does not include terms and conditions relating to superannuation.
(4) In relation to a person referred to in subsection (1), previous service with Microfinance Ireland prior to the appointed day shall be reckonable for the purposes of, but subject to any exceptions or exclusions in, the following:
(a) the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 to 2022;
(b) the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001;
(c) the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003;
(d) the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997;
(e) the Terms of Employment (Information) Acts 1994 to 2014;
(f) the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973 to 2005;
(g) the Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2015;
(h) the Maternity Protection Acts 1994 to 2022;
(i) the Parental Leave Acts 1998 to 2023;
(j) the Adoptive Leave Acts 1995 and 2005;
(k) the Carer’s Leave Act 2001;
(l) the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016;
(m) the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019.
(5) In this section, “appointed day” means the day appointed by order under section 12(3A).”.”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 5:
Section 13: In page 9, to delete line 35 and substitute “of section 13 of the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Act 2026, Microfinance Ireland shall, with the approval of the”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 6:
Section 13: In page 10, to delete lines 1 and 2 and substitute “Minister and the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, make a scheme or”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 7:
Section 13: In page 10, to delete lines 11 and 12 and substitute “consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, make a scheme amending or revoking a”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 8:
Section 13: In page 10, to delete lines 19 and 20 and substitute “subject to the agreement of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, make a”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 9:
Section 13: In page 10, to delete lines 25 and 26 and substitute “with the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 10:
Section 14: In page 11, to delete line 2 and substitute “Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, make”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendment No. 11:
Title: In page 3, line 7, to delete “Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment” and substitute “Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment”.
Seanad amendment agreed to.
Seanad amendments reported.
A message will be sent to Seanad Éireann acquainting it that Dáil Éireann has agreed to amendments Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, made by Seanad Éireann to the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024.
Sitting suspended at 8.22 p.m. and resumed at 8.27 p.m.