Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was going to say that I too wish to speak in favour of amendment No. 9, but I am not quite clear whether Deputy Leddin has spoken in favour of the amendment or against it. In any event, I believe it is an important amendment. Unlike Deputies Leddin and Quinlivan, I do not live in Limerick and did not vote in the Limerick plebiscite, but I have an interest in Limerick. I grew up 20 miles from Limerick and would go into Star Discs on Patrick Street in the city every Saturday morning. There were a lot more shops in Patrick Street then than there are now. I have seen many changes in Limerick since that time, particularly along the route I would take coming in from Clare coming through Athlunkard Street. Sir Harry's Mall was an ancient thoroughfare going back to the Treaty of Limerick and the defence of the walls. Somebody, in their wisdom, decided to give planning permission for a hotel to be built across it. This was after they had built a motorway through the centre of medieval Limerick. Now they are pedestrianising O'Connell Street, which is a Georgian thoroughfare with wide streets that can accommodate traffic, as the destruction of the medieval city continues.

It seems to me that what this amendment proposes is somewhat similar to what I am proposing in some of my amendments. It is not grouped with my amendments but they essentially deal with similar issues.

The powers set out in Schedules 1 and 2 are the nitty-gritty and nuts and bolts of it. People voted, if my recollection is correct, on a directly elected mayor of Limerick that would have executive powers. They would be strong executive powers. That was the feeling people had. People do not want another stuffed duck on the mantlepiece. We have enough of them in Irish life and we have all sorts of ceremonial roles. Arguably, the role of a TD has become almost entirely ceremonial rather than being able to effect change through the legislative process. If we set up a mayor of Limerick and do not give him or her at least the powers the existing mayor has and most of the executive powers of the current CEOs, it will inevitably fail. It will be yet another chain-wearer racking up air miles. What will they do? Will they go off to COP29 and represent Limerick there?

The idea is you elect somebody to do a job, give them the powers to do it and if you do not like how they do it, you turf them out. You cannot get rid of county managers, directors of services or most of the Civil Service. Maybe that is a good thing but at some level there has to be somebody with the power to make decisions that positively affect people’s lives . If that power is taken away, first, there will be candidates running who are not terribly interested in improving people’s lives and, second, people will not be remotely interested in electing somebody because they know they have five or six councillors in their municipal district and a mayor of Limerick who was asked and said, “I’ll do nothing for you.”

I congratulate the Minister of State on all the work he has done to being the Bill to fruition. One might ask why more work was not done earlier but I certainly cannot lay that fault at the Minister of State’s door.

The idea is we will have a review in three years. I have been around one term before this one. I have heard of many reviews but have never seen one lead to substantial change. If we are to make the radical departure of a directly elected mayor, let us make it, give the person power, attract the best person for the job, give them to power to do it and, if they do not, make it better. As it stands, it seems to me we are giving them very few powers.

The reservation one might have concerns the purchase of lands but I accept Deputy Quinlivan’s rationale for that, and, in particular, the safeguard that it would have to be ratified by the elected members, which is important. I see no reason not to adopt this. We are saying the mayor of Limerick should be a full-time position but what powers do they have that require them to be full-time? I appreciate I am talking about Sinn Féin's previous amendment but the spirit of the legislation the Minister of State brought forward suggests much employment might be precluded from the mayor. The powers the mayor has under the Bill, if not amended, would not require anybody’s full-time attention. That is a pity and would be a missed opportunity. I commend the amendment.

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