Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am heartened by the Minister of State's willingness to look at the civic honour reception issue. With regard to the príomh chomhairleoir, the Minister of State's position and my position are clear and we differ, so I do not think we are going to reach common ground on it.

It is still unclear regarding additional expenditure incurred. Given that the mayor is the person introducing the budget, to all intents and purposes, it is his budget. I know the council ultimately passes the budget and it is its budget but while the Dáil passes the Finance Bill, it is still the Minister for Finance's budget. If it goes badly wrong in the course of the year, it is the Minister for Finance who has to come back before the Dáil with an emergency budget to fix it. Presumably, if it goes very badly wrong in Limerick City and County Council, the mayor will come back before it and will have to determine how he proposes to fix it. He will certainly have to fix the hole the following year because he has a five-year term. In those circumstances, it is not clear to me why he does not have to be informed of expenditure over and above that which was planned. Perhaps it should be instead of the príomh chomhairleoir but in addition to the príomh chomhairleoir, at least. I do not understand why he is not to be informed if it is to be his budget, albeit one that is adopted. Whenever I use the word "his" I obviously mean "his or her". I am just making clear that I am not presupposing who is going to be the mayor of Limerick.

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