Cap. 557 Art. 4Compositionofthe Council.

(1) The Council shall be composed of a Chairperson and thirteen members.

(2) The Chairperson of the Council shall be appointed from amongst persons knowledgeable about the autism spectrum.

(3) The members of the Council shall be divided into two categories:

(a) the ex officio members; and

(b) other members.

(4) The ex officio members of the Council shall be the following:

(a) the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry responsible for Health or his representative;

(b) the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry responsible for Education or his representative;

(ba) the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry responsible for Employment or his representative;

(c) the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry responsible for the Rights of Persons with Disability or his representative;

(d) the Dean of the Faculty for Social Wellbeing of the University of Malta or his representative;

(e) the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Malta or his representative;

(f) the Dean of the Faculty of Education of the University of Malta or his representative;

(fa) the Chairperson of the Centre for Labour Studies of the University of Malta or his representative;

(g) the Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Disability or his representative; and

(h) the Chief Executive Officer Aġenzija SAPPORT or his representative.

(5) The other members of the Council shall consist of three representatives of non-governmental organisations supporting individuals within the autism spectrum and their families, of which at least one shall be an adult within the autism spectrum.

(5A) The entities referred to in sub-articles (4)(a), (b), (ba), (c) and

(h) above shall be deemed to be implementing entities for the purposes of this Act, while the entities referred to in sub-articles (4)(d), (e), (f),

(fa) and (g), and in sub-article (5) above shall be monitoring entities appointment of the Council or three years in the case of subsequent appointments, from the date of his appointment; or

(b) if any circumstances arise that, if he were not a member of the Council, would cause him to be disqualified for appointment as such.

(7) A member of the Council may be removed from office by the Minister, but such member may be removed only for inability to discharge the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or of body or any other cause) or for misbehaviour.

(8) If the office of a member of the Council is vacant or if a member is for any reason unable to perform the functions of his office, the Minister shall appoint a person who is qualified to be appointed to be a member to be a temporary member of the Council, and any person so appointed shall, subject to the provisions of sub-articles (4) and (5), cease to be such a member when a person has been appointed to fill the vacancy or, as the case may be, when the member who was unable to perform the functions of his office resumes those functions.