Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the amendment. With regard to Deputy Leddin's point, you are kind of hoping that the people of Limerick will elect someone who will agree with the director general now and forever. The people of Limerick, and of other areas if this is expanded, have the right to elect whoever they want. They may elect someone who has a fundamental clash with a future hypothetical director general. The idea that the democratic will of the people could effectively be overridden by a director general who completely ties the hands of the elected mayor by appointing staff whose job is to block the mayor from doing what he or she has a mandate to do is completely unacceptable. It makes a bit of a joke of the idea of electing a mayor if the unelected person still gets to appoint the mayor's staff.

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