Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the general scheme of the Bill and note that Sinn Féin has engaged with this process from day one. We were happy to make a submission. As everyone has said, this is the democratic will of the people of Limerick. It is very important and it is up to us to get it right. I am conscious that with the establishment of any new powers, we must be careful that we do not take any existing powers away from our elected councillors.

I have some questions for the Minister of State, which I will ask together, and hopefully we will have time to get through them. I am particularly interested in head 31. What is the relationship regarding the current local authority annual budget and the three-year capital plan? How will the mayor's programme of office work with that? I would appreciate the Minister of State explaining the process to me.

Head 40 relates to the rural Limerick board. Perhaps the Minister of State will talk us through the proposed appointments, in the context of the process and the tenders involved, and the relationship the board will have with the council.

On head 41, what role will the mayor have regarding the city development plan? Many of us previously served as councillors and we know that this is, essentially, a contract between those who are elected and the people they serve. Will the Minister of State please touch on some of those questions?