Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To correct the Deputy, in an instance where, due to incapacity or something happening to the mayor, all the powers revert to the príomh comhairleoir. This will mean that he will have to exercise the duties and functions of that office until there is a replacement becomes available following an election that has to be held within six months. The latter will also depend on the electoral cycle. In that context, matters would be different if a national election were due within three months.

I am a strong advocate for increasing the number of reserved powers for local authority members. I have engaged with them up and down the ,through various fora such as the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, and the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, in that regard. It is extremely important that their powers will not be watered down. This Bill will not water down the reserved functions of local authority members.

I note the Deputy's comments on costs. I estimate that the overall cost will be in the region of €313,000 because some of the staff will come from within the local authority system. It is important that we do not lose sight of the value this will give to the citizens of Limerick. We are going to have someone who will be able to represent Limerick internationally, put it centre stage and reach into the heart of Government in terms of devolving powers back to Limerick. As we know, local authorities are responsible for more than 600 services that are directly aimed at citizens. This means that they comprise the closest arm of government to citizens. It is important, therefore, that we do not lose sight of the value of what we are trying to create for Limerick or of the different funding streams we hope to bring, through negotiation with various Departments, to Limerick. The mayor will have real power and a real opportunity to deliver on the mandate that he or she has been given by the people of Limerick city and county.

We should not lose sight of that in the discussion in terms of the value of this and what it would mean for County Limerick. A chief advocate has the power to mobilise stakeholders and put Limerick at the centre, both in terms of Government and on an international level.