Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1983

What is this act about?

This law amends and expands previous laws concerning officers and employees of local authorities, primarily focusing on how candidates are selected for these roles. It updates the rules for competitions and what factors can be considered during the selection process.

Who it applies to: Commissioners responsible for selecting candidates for local authority offices; Individuals seeking appointment to offices within local authorities.

At a glance

Country: Ireland
Area of law: Labour law
Articles: 9
Source: irishstatutebook.ie
Text retrieved: 2026-06-17
Explanation updated: 2026-07-07

What does this act regulate?

The factors Commissioners can consider when recommending candidates for local authority offices.
The conduct and structure of competitions for these positions.
The types of tests that can be used in these competitions.
The application of the Principal Act to certain offices and employments.

Who does this act apply to?

Commissioners responsible for selecting candidates for local authority offices.
Individuals seeking appointment to offices within local authorities.

What are the key points?

Commissioners may consider knowledge (including Irish and English language), training, experience, or other relevant matters, in addition to prescribed qualifications, when selecting candidates.
Competitions for positions can include interviews, written examinations, practical examinations, or other appropriate tests.
Admission to parts of a competition can be conditional on a candidate reaching a certain standard.
The office of clerk to the council of an urban district with a population less than nine thousand is not covered by the Principal Act.

Labour law

Unemployment Assistance (Amendment) Act, 1940

Presidential Elections (Amendment) Act, 1946

Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Act, 1976

Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2023

Trade Loans (Guarantee) Act, 1924

Pensions (Abatement) Act, 1965

National Bank Transfer Act, 1966

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2012

Labour law

Legal text

Contents (9)

Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 9

Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1983 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.ie) Translations (Houses of the Oireachtas) Government Publications for Sale EU Law (EUR-Lex) FAQ Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Search Baile Reachtaíocht Achtanna an Oireachtais Ionstraimí Reachtúla Reachtaíocht Réamh-1922 Bunreacht Acmhainní Seachtracha Billí (Tithe an Oireachtais) Iris Oifigiúil Achtanna Athbhreithnithe (CAD) (An Coimisiún um Athchóiriú an Dlí) Liosta Rangaithe Reachtaíochta Aistriúcháin (achtanna.ie) Aistriúcháin (Tithe an Oireachtais) Foilseacháin Rialtais ar Díol Dlí AE (EUR-Lex) CCanna (Ceisteanna Coitianta) Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach Cuardach TitleTeideal Year(s) or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 1983 Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1983 Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1983 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 1 of 1983 LOCAL AUTHORITIES (OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES) ACT, 1983 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section

Section 1

Interpretation.

Section 2

Commissioners may take certain knowledge, training, experience etc. into account.

Section 3

Amendment of section 8 of Principal Act.

Section 4

Regulations under section 8 of Principal Act.

Section 5

Principal Act to apply as amended by this Act.

Section 6

Application of Principal Act restricted.

Section 7

Repeals and consequential amendments.

Section 8

Application of Act.

Section 9

Short title, commencement, collective citation and construction.

Acts Referred to Coroners Act, 1962 1962, No. 9 Fisheries Act, 1980 1980, No. 1 Harbours Act, 1946 1946, No. 9 Health Act, 1953 1953, No. 26 Health Act, 1970 1970, No. 1 Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1926 1926, No. 39 Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Acts, 1926 and 1940 Local Governmcnt Act, 1941 1941, No. 23 Local Government Act, 1946 1946, No. 24 Local Government Act, 1955 1955, No. 9 Number 1 of 1983 LOCAL AUTHORITIES (OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES) ACT, 1983 AN ACT TO AMEND AND EXTEND THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES (OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES) ACTS, 1926 AND 1940. [3rd March, 1983] BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

Interpretation.

1.—In this Act— “prescribed qualifications” means qualifications prescribed, declared, directed or approved of under or specified in section 7 of the Principal Act, section 21 of the Local Government Act, 1941 (as amended by section 40 of the Local Government Act, 1946 , and section 16 of the Local Government Act, 1955 ), section 42 of the Harbours Act, 1946 , section 8

(3)(c) or 14

(1)of the Coroners Act, 1962 , or section 18 of the Health Act, 1970 ; “the Principal Act” means the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1926 .

Commissioners may take certain knowledge, training, experience etc. into account.

2.—(1) Subject to section 8 of this Act, the Commissioners, with the consent of the appropriate Minister, may in selecting a candidate to be recommended by them for appointment to an office to which the Principal Act applies, take into consideration, in addition to the prescribed qualifications such of the following (if any) which the Commissioners consider relevant to the duties of the office, namely, knowledge (including knowledge of either or both the Irish language and the English language), training, experience or other matter.

(2)A consent by the appropriate Minister may be given under this section either in relation to a particular office to which the Principal Act applies or in relation to such offices which are of a particular description, class or grade.

(3)In this section the “appropriate Minister” means the appropriate Minister within the meaning of section 30 of the Local Government Act, 1955 , or, in relation to any office or employment to which section 27 of the Fisheries Act, 1980 , applies, the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry.

Amendment of section 8 of Principal Act.

3.—Subject to section 8 of this Act, the following section is hereby substituted for section 8 of the Principal Act: “8.—(1) The Commissioners shall in selecting any person to be recommended by them under this Act have regard to a competition conducted by them, and any such competition shall be so conducted in accordance with regulations made by the Commissioners.

(2)The following provisions shall apply as regards competitions conducted pursuant to this section: (a) Subject to paragraph (d) of this subsection and section 4 (b) of the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1983, the competition shall be open to all persons desiring to enter the competition who possess or claim to possess the prescribed qualifications for the office to which the competition relates and pay the fee (if any) prescribed by the Commissioners in respect of such competition, (b) the competition shall, as the Commissioners may decide, consist of any one or more of the following: (i) interview, (ii) a written examination, (iii) a practical examination, (iv) any other test or tests considered by the Commissioners to be appropriate, (c) where the competition consists of more than one of the tests specified in paragraph (b) of this subsection (whether of the same or of different classes so specified), not more than one of the tests need be competitive, and (d) the Commissioners may make admission to any part of the competition conditional on a candidate's reaching such a standard as the Commissioners consider appropriate.

(3)The Commissioners may, after consultation with the appropriate Minister within the meaning of section 2 of the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1983, make regulations for the conduct (including, where the Commissioners consider them to be applicable, the time and place and subjects) of competitions to be held by them for the purposes of this section, and such regulations may relate to one or more classes of such competitions or to any particular such competition or competitions.

(4)Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting the provisions of section 5 of this Act.”.

Regulations under section 8 of Principal Act.

4.—Regulations made under section 8 of the Principal Act may, in addition to prescribing the matters referred to in subsection (3) of that section— (a) specify any one or more of the following: (i) the types of test of which the competition to which the regulations relate shall consist, (ii) the mode of application for admission to such competition, (iii) knowledge, training, experience or other matter which the Commissioners, pursuant to section 2

(1)of this Act propose taking into consideration at the competition, (b) provide that where, by reason of the number of persons seeking admission to the competition and the standard of knowledge, training or experience in general of such persons, the Commissioners consider that it would be reasonable not to admit all the persons to the competition, the Commissioners may admit to the competition only persons who appear to them to be likely to attain in the competition a standard sufficient for selection and recommendation for appointment.

Principal Act to apply as amended by this Act.

5.—Where the Principal Act or any provision thereof is applied by or under any other Act to any particular office or employment, or in relation to any board, committee or other body (whether corporate or unincorporated), the Principal Act or the provision shall apply to such office or employment, or in relation to such body, with and subject to the amendments effected by this Act.

Application of Principal Act restricted.

6.—The office of clerk to the council of an urban district, the population of which, as ascertained by the census of population which for the time being is the last published census of population, is less than nine thousand, shall not be an office to which the Principal Act applies.

Repeals and consequential amendments.

7.—(1) Section 9 of the Principal Act and section 29 of the Local Government Act, 1955 , are hereby repealed.

(2)(a) Subparagraph (ii) of section 62

(1)(b) of the Health Act, 1953 , is hereby amended by the substitution of “pursuant to” for “in accordance with section 9 of”, and the said subparagraph (ii), as so amended, is set out in paragraph 1 of the Table to this section. (b) Subsection (2) of section 15 of the Health Act, 1970 , is hereby amended by the substitution of “section 30” for “sections 29 and 30”, and the said subsection (2), as so amended, is set out in paragraph 2 of the Table to this section.

TABLE 1. (ii) in relation to the making of any appointment to the staff of the institution which is considered by the Minister to carry with it duties involving the teaching of clinical medicine or the conduct of medical research under the direction of one or more than one such college, any board constituted by the Local Appointments Commissioners pursuant to the Local Authorities (Officers andEmployees) Act, 1926 (No. 39 of 1926), to interview candidates shall consist of a chairman nominated by the Minister and a number of other members, half of whom shall be nominated by such college or colleges.

2.(2) References to the appropriate Minister in section 30 of the Local Government Act, 1955 , shall, in relation to appointments to health boards, be construed as references to the Minister.

Application of Act.

8.—The provisions of this Act shall not apply in relation to any recommendation under section 6 of the Principal Act if the request pursuant to which the recommendation is made was received by the Commissioners before the commencement of this Act.

Short title, commencement, collective citation and construction.

9.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1983, and shall come into operation on such day as the Minister for the Environment shall fix by order.

(2)The Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Acts, 1926 and 1940, and this Act may be cited together as the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Acts, 1926 to 1983, and shall be construed together as one Act.

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