PART III.

Midwives Committee.

26. —On the establishment date there shall be established by virtue of this section a committee under the Board to be styled and known as the Midwives Committee.

27. —The number of members of the Committee shall be eight.

28. —(1) Before the establishment date the Minister shall appoint five persons to be members of the Committee in addition to the three persons mentioned in section 29 of this Act.

(2) Where an appointment is made under this section of persons to be members of the Committee—

(a) one shall be the person appointed to the Board who was appointed under subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 12 of this Act;

(b) one shall be a medical practitioner who is engaged in medical practice in a maternity training school situate elsewhere than in the county borough of Dublin;

(c) one shall be a general medical practitioner with experience in obstetrics;

(d) one shall be the person appointed to the Board who was appointed under subparagraph (v) of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 12 of this Act; and

(e) one shall be a person appointed to the Board who was appointed under paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 11 of this Act.

29. —(1) Before the establishment date and before the 31st day of March in each year following an election year, the Minister shall appoint three persons to be members of the Committee.

(2) Where an appointment is made under this section of persons to be members of the Committee—

(a) one shall be a medical practitioner, and

(b) two shall be—

(i) in the case of persons appointed before the establishment date, persons registered under the Act of 1944, and

(ii) in any other case, midwives.

30. —(1) Before the 31st day of March in the year following each election year, the Board shall appoint five persons to be members of the Committee.

(2) Where an appointment is made under this section of persons to be members of the Committee—

(a) one shall be the member of the Board who was appointed under subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 12 of this Act;

(b) one shall be a medical practitioner who is engaged in medical practice in a maternity training school situate elsewhere than in the county borough of Dublin;

(c) one shall be a general medical practitioner with experience in obstetrics;

(d) one shall be the member of the Board who was appointed under subparagraph (v) of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 12 of this Act; and

(e) one shall be an elected member of the Board who is a midwife.

31. —(1) The term of office of a member of the Committee shall commence—

(a) in the case of a first member, on the establishment date;

(b) in the case of a member filling a casual vacancy, on the day on which he is appointed; and

(c) in every other case, on the 1st day of April in the year following the relevant election year.

(2) The term of office of a member of the Committee shall, unless he sooner dies, resigns, is removed from office, or, in the case of a member who is also a member of the Board, becomes disqualified in pursuance of section 38 of this Act from being a member of the Committee, terminate on such 31st day of March in the year following an election year as next follows the commencement of his term of office.

32. —(1) A member of the Committee who is not a member of the Board may resign his office as a member of the Committee by letter sent by registered post to the Committee, and the resignation shall take effect at the commencement of the meeting of the Committee held next after the receipt of the letter if the resignation is not withdrawn before such meeting.

(2) The Committee shall inform the Board of such resignation.

(3) The Committee shall inform the Minister of such resignation in the case of a member appointed by the Minister.

33. —The member of the Committee who was appointed under paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 30 of this Act shall be chairman of the Committee or where he ceases to be a member of the Committee the person appointed to replace him shall be chairman of the Committee.

34. —(1) The Committee shall hold at least one meeting in each quarter of the year and shall also hold such other meetings as may be necessary for the due performance of their functions.

(2) Subject to subsection (3) of this section the quorum of a meeting of the Committee shall be three.

(3) For any particular class of business or for any particular purpose, the Committee may fix the quorum of a meeting at a greater number than three.

(4) The chairman of the Committee shall act as chairman of every meeting of the Committee at which he is present.

(5) During the absence of the chairman of the Committee from any meeting of the Committee or if when any meeting of the Committee is held there is no chairman of the Committee in office, the members of the Committee present shall elect one of themselves to be chairman of the meeting for the time being and, where at such election there is an equality of votes for two or more persons, it shall be determined by lot which of those persons shall be chairman of the meeting for the time being.

(6) Every question at a meeting of the Committee shall be determined by a majority of the votes of the members present and voting on the question and, in case of an equal division of votes, the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

(7) The Committee may act notwithstanding one or more vacancies among their members.

(8) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Board shall regulate, by rules, the procedure of the Committee.

35. —Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the Committee by death, resignation, disqualification or removal from office shall be filled—

(a) in case the member occasioning the vacancy was appointed by the Board, by appointment by the Board subject to the like restriction as governed the appointment of the member occasioning the vacancy;

(b) in any other case, by appointment by the Minister subject to the like restriction as governed the appointment of the member occasioning the vacancy.

36. —The Minister may at any time by order remove any member of the Committee from office.

37. —The Committee shall furnish advice to the Board on such matters as the Board may refer to them.

38. —Where a member of the Committee who is also a member of the Board ceases to be a member of the Board, otherwise than by virtue of the termination of his period of office at the end of an election year, he shall be disqualified from being and shall forthwith cease to be a member of the Committee.