Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Bill is required to be enacted before the summer recess for the following reasons. First, the Limerick regeneration agencies' establishment order contains a sunset clause which will see it cease on 14 June 2012. It is very important that the Minister has the power to transfer the assets and liabilities and to make provisions for the continuation of contracts before that date. In that regard, the Limerick regeneration agencies have significant ongoing contracts with building contractors that need to be transferred to Limerick City Council before the bodies cease to have legal effect.

Second, both the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, and the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency, HSCA, have been established on an administrative basis for a number of years at this point. Both new bodies are absolutely crucial to the Department's rationalisation programme as they take over the work that has been carried out separately by six different agencies. At present, the LGMA and the HSCA cannot employ staff directly, they have to keep multiple accounts and multiple sets of records, which means they are incurring extra costs, and the HSCA has two separate audits. The lack of legislative footing is severely hampering both agencies' ability to realise the full efficiency gains that were a factor in their establishment. The CEO of the HSCA has recently written to the Department highlighting the very negative impact the lack of statutory footing is having on the HSCA's operation and on its staff, as the final staffing complement cannot be finalised until such time as the body is established.

The third point is that An Chomhairle Leabharlanna is to be dissolved and a smaller library unit established in the LGMA. An Chomhairle Leabharlanna has statutory functions that must be transferred to the LGMA and it has sufficient funding to the end of June only. The dissolution and transfer need to happen before that time. These are the reasons the Bill must be taken.

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