Mr. John A. Moran:

The last point to mention is it must be remembered that local government has a restricted function at the moment and therefore has restricted staff reflecting that. Every time a power is added to the office of mayor, there must be an acknowledgement that either the mayor's office or Limerick City and County Council's staff headcount must represent the transfer of power, and ergo functions, from central government to a local environment, and be staffed accordingly.