LOCAL ELECTIONS ACT, 1972

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 5 OF THE ELECTORAL ACT, 1963, TO REMOVE CERTAIN MEMBERSHIP DISQUALIFICATIONS WITH REGARD TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND CERTAIN OTHER RELATED BODIES, TO ALTER THE YEARS FOR HOLDING LOCAL ELECTIONS AND TO MAKE PROVISION FOR CERTAIN OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED WITH LOCAL ELECTIONS. [4th July, 1972]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

1 Amendment of section 5 (2) of Electoral Act, 1963.

1.—Section 5 (2) of the Electoral Act, 1963, is hereby amended by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d):

• “(a) A person shall be entitled to be registered as a local government elector in a local electoral area if he has reached the age of twenty-one years and he was, on the qualifying date, ordinarily resident in that area.”.

2 Removal of certain membership disqualifications with regard to local authorities and certain other related bodies.

2.—(1) A person shall not be disqualified for being elected, chosen, appointed or being a member of a local authority, a vocational education committee or a county committee of agriculture because—

• (a) within twelve months either before or since his election or being so chosen or appointed, he has received general assistance within the meaning of the Public Assistance Act, 1939, or

• (b) within five years either before or since his election or being so chosen or appointed, he has been adjudicated bankrupt, or made an arrangement with his creditors.

• (2) The following provisions of Article 12 of the Schedule to the Local Government (Application of Enactments) Order, 1898, shall, with respect to membership of a local authority, a vocational education committee or a county committee of agriculture, cease to have effect, namely:

• (a) subparagraph (b) of paragraph (4),

• (b) “or has, within or during the time aforesaid, been adjudged bankrupt, or made a composition or arrangement with his creditors” in subparagraph (c) of paragraph (4), and

• (c) paragraph (7).

3 Alteration of years for holding local elections.

3.—(1) Section 81 (1) of the Electoral Act, 1963, as amended by section 1 of the Local Elections Act, 1966, is hereby amended by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (a):

• “(a) An election of members of every local authority shall be held in the year 1973 and quinquennially thereafter.”.

• (2) The terms of office of members of local authorities current at the passing of this Act shall stand extended so as to be in accordance with the holding in the year 1973 of the elections of members of local authorities next after the passing of this Act and those elections shall be regarded for all purposes as quinquennial elections.

4 Alteration of years for making appointments of members of school attendance committees.

4.—The appointments next after the passing of this Act under section 10 of the School Attendance Act, 1926, shall be made in the year 1973 and shall be regarded as quinquennial appointments.

5 Provision with respect to certain meetings of vocational education committees.

5.—The meetings next after the passing of this Act under section 14 of the Vocational Education Act, 1930, shall be regarded as quinquennial meetings.

6 Short title, collective citations and construction.

6.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Local Elections Act, 1972.

• (2) The Local Elections Acts, 1963 to 1966, and this Act may be cited together as the Local Elections Acts, 1963 to 1972, and shall be construed together as one Act.

• (3) The collective citation, the Electoral Acts, 1923 to 1972, shall include sections 1 and 2 of this Act.