Dr. Eoin O'Malley:

It is not controversial to say that local government is very weak. It is exceptionally weak. Mr. Moran has gone through that as well. Essentially, what this is doing is handing over a weak form of local government to the mayor. It will not take back to Limerick any of the power that perhaps was envisaged in the original promise that was made in the programme for Government in 2016.