Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 7 from my colleague in Limerick, Deputy Quinlivan, seeks to prevent the mayor from engaging in other paid employment during his or her term. The office of mayor of Limerick is a full-time role, and it will be a demanding one. The successful candidate will have a key role in driving progress across all aspects of local government for the people of Limerick city and county.

The Bill is already very clear on both of these matters. Section 9(5) states that the mayor will serve on a full-time basis for his or her term of office and section 9(8) provides that the mayor is prohibited from engaging in any occupation which would interfere or be incompatible with his or her role as mayor. In addition, the mayor will be subject to the ethics provisions in the Local Government Act and the codes of conduct for the local government service. I believe the provisions in the Bill are appropriate and I do not propose to accept these amendments.