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

It says something that the very first debate of the new term of this Oireachtas is this Second Stage debate on the legislation for a directly elected mayor for Limerick. It says that this Government intends to get the legislation onto the statute books and hold an election for mayor of Limerick in June of next year, as the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, confirmed in his opening statement. I thank the Minister of State for his efforts in bringing this draft Bill to this point. I have no doubt that as a Limerick man and as an elected representative of Limerick city, it is a matter of pride that he is the Minister of State entrusted with delivering what is, in my view, the most important reform of local government in Ireland since the foundation of the State. Notwithstanding his stellar career to date in public service, which I expect to continue long into the future, I expect that this legislation will have his name on it and will form no small part of his own political legacy.

I pay tribute to his predecessors as Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke and, in particular, Deputy John Paul Phelan, who, perhaps more than any other, was the architect of this reform when he held that ministerial portfolio. There is a joke in there about a Kilkenny man spearheading this reform of local government in Limerick.

It is also important to acknowledge the great work of Tim O'Connor, the chair of the implementation advisory group, and to thank all members of the group. It was made up of a cross-section of politicians, other stakeholders and officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I had the privilege of sitting on the IAG for a short time and I saw at first hand the calibre and dedication of those officials. They are also to be commended today.

Though the people of three Irish city regions were asked in 2019 if they wanted a directly elected mayor, Limerick alone answered that it did. We should ask ourselves why this was the answer. I would say that the campaign was stronger in Limerick than in Waterford or Cork and I should pay tribute to the leaders of that campaign. It is fair to say there was a lacklustre appetite for the reform from within established politics, not in Limerick but generally, and I would say that is still the case. The campaign was able to tap into a centuries-old tradition in our home city, a tradition of independence, autonomy, and I dare say, rebelliousness, that is in the DNA of Limerick. I was involved in the campaign, partly because as a Green Party candidate for the local elections at the time to support this was to be consistent with a fundamental tenet of green political philosophy across the world; that power should be strong at the local level, where the impact of decision-making is more acutely felt. It was not just for this reason that I supported the campaign in 2019. Were I not a Green Party local election candidate back then I would feel just as strongly that this was a critical step forward for our region.

Not too many will disagree that the unfortunate reality is that local government across Ireland, as much as in Limerick, is not working so well. The lopsided development of our country since we won independence a century ago is evidence of this. While we talk repeatedly of balanced regional development, our administrative system is so centralised that it ensures that balanced regional development is an aspiration, perhaps with an ever-widening gap between Dublin and the regional cities, which need not be the case. The Minister of State, as much as am I and as are all political representatives in Limerick, is ambitious for our city and county's future, and we see ourselves as a growing European city region. When we were offered a new way forward we said "Yes". The legislation is one of the best opportunities we will ever have to help Limerick chart its own course to recover from disinterest from central government and to become a leader in innovation, sustainability and quality of life. It is essential that we get it right. Is the Bill a step in the right direction? Yes, it is. Does it go far enough? No, and we will tease that out through the various Stages in the Oireachtas. We should not fool ourselves into thinking that it can be refined and revised in the years ahead, notwithstanding the proposed establishment of a consultative forum, which is a provision in the draft Bill.

There are fundamental questions at play here. Will the elected mayor of Limerick have the power and financial ability to pursue and implement the vision that he or she will have campaigned on? Does the draft Bill represent the level of devolution of power that one expects with this kind of office, which is a mainstay of the European political and administrative structure, or are we simply taking a gentle, hesitant or even grudgingly minimal step forward? These are fundamental questions that we have to ask ourselves. It seems to me that the proposed office is perhaps more about soft and consultative power than executive power.

The debate so far today has been good and it is worth listening to Members from the Opposition as much as from the Government. Some valid points have been made. What has not been mentioned so far is the ability of the mayor, whoever that may be, to raise revenue to pursue their vision. I have concerns there and I would see that notwithstanding the challenge of getting the balance of powers right - we are not looking for full autonomy for Limerick, not by a long shot - there needs to be real power for this office and that power needs to be supported by the financial ability of the new mayor, whosoever that may be. Can the new mayor raise taxes to implement his or her vision? For example, if the mayor identifies a gap in the provision of public transport, will he or she be able to fund the gaps that are there? I could say the same about waste policy or housing policy. A lot of these powers are only meaningful if they can be paid for. There is a question of the ability of the mayor to raise funds.

It is fundamental that Dublin lets go of Limerick's hand. Limerick is a grown-up region and we can and should go forward somewhat more autonomously than we have. We see a level of democratic accountability with this draft Bill but we see a lack of devolution and ability for the mayor to raise revenue.

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