John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Amendments Nos. 115 to 118, inclusive, are drafting amendments to position the reference to Chapter 2 of Part 14 of the principal Act at the start of the provision. Amendments Nos. 119 to 122, inclusive, are drafting amendments to add a comma, remove the reference to section 145 of the 2001 Act and insert "the appointment of" before "the chief executive".

Amendment No. 123 adds paragraph (c) to the published section 32, to further amend Chapter 2 of Part 14 of the 2001 Act by replacing paragraph (a) of section 145(1) to encompass future appointments of chief executive of the Galway local authority should the need arise for the appointment of a further such chief executive subsequent to the first appointment by the Minister under the new section 144A. If something were to happen to an appointed joint chief executive officer, therefore, another could be appointed.

The section seeks to put in place one chief executive with responsibility for both local authorities in Galway. It arises out of a Government decision taken a number of months ago and will allow for a limited amount of administrative integration. It does not at this stage diminish the legal position of either local authority. The scheduled 2019 local elections will be held by the two existing authorities as currently constituted with two separate plenary councils. The decision to progress preliminary work to set out the basis for a future merger arises from the work of the independent Galway local government committee, which unanimously recommended the establishment of a new unified Galway authority rather than boundary alteration or retention of the status quo in the local authority areas in Galway.

The group concluded this would maximise the potential of the region to maintain, secure and grow a sustainable economic base into the future, combining the respective strengths of the two existing authorities in terms of resources, staff and expertise.

A subsequent expert advisory group was established in December 2016 to carry out further detailed examination and planning arising from the 2015 recommendation. The group endorsed and confirmed the recommendation in 2015 of the Galway local government review committee report for amalgamation between the city and county councils, and stated this is now all the more urgent in order to capitalise on the funding opportunities under the national planning framework and the capital programme, and to have the capacity to engage in activity such as capital development funded by borrowings. The group was unanimous in its view that amalgamation is required to drive the development of Galway in the context of its regional, national and international remit. Other key specific recommendations include the caveat that any amalgamation must be preceded by addressing noted deficiencies in both human and financial resources, and a need to strengthen the structure of municipal districts so their full potential is explored and resourced. Work is under way on this issue in a specific way for Galway and in a general way via the report on municipal governance for districts, towns and local electoral areas, which is with the joint committee at present. I met on a couple of occasions the Galway Oireachtas Members, and I thank them for that. A full debate on the proposed merger will be possible when the merger legislation is brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas in 2019.