Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will speak to amendment No. 92. The Minister of State and my other colleagues from Limerick know that Limerick City and County Council very successfully operates a number of designated activity companies, DACs, in the form of Limerick 2030, which is doing excellent work. Another is the new tourism body and there are others. These companies are generally very effective.

In the context of a new directly elected mayor being able to pursue his or her mandate, and vision for the city and the county, it is important that the mayor would also have that power to set up this kind of company. Any candidate who stands in the mayoral election will stand on a particular policy platform. It makes sense to set up this kind of company owned by the local authority, which would have the ability to borrow. I can think of examples in the tradition of directly elected mayors across Europe, north America and also Great Britain. If there is a gap in the transport services being provided by the national bus or rail company, a mayor stands on the basis that he or she will fill that gap. They might consider it makes sense to set up a local transport company. Waste would be another example.

This amendment is about giving the mayor the power to get something significant going that would fill a gap they have identified and which, if filled, would be meaningful to the people of Limerick city and county. As it stands, the council has the power to set up such a company. However, if we want to have a serious transfer of functions to a directly elected mayor, it would make sense that the mayor would also have that power and that he or she would stand in a mayoral election on the basis that he or she would set up such a vehicle.