Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, to the House. This is an extremely important debate. The Minister of State will forgive me if I deal with something dear to my heart, that is, Limerick. Sections 39 to 45, inclusive, deal with the plebiscite for a directly elected mayor. The Minister of State stated that it is intended that there would be a plebiscite for a directly elected mayor for Limerick city and county on the same date as the local elections in May 2019. I welcome that. Limerick city is rich in heritage and its motto is: "A city well versed in the Art of War". We have driven off various invaders set on conquests over centuries and the people of Limerick are very proud of that. That is epitomised by St. John's Castle, which is a very prominent landmark along the river along with the Treaty Stone. The legislation will be welcomed by the people. I am conscious that when we make proposals for a directly elected mayor, we are entering new territory and it is important we get it right.

I welcome the fact the Minister of State is facilitating a day long debate in the new year around the whole area of local government and, more particularly, directly elected mayors. We need to see how we can benchmark it against other cities in the world and see how it works in similar sized cities. Will the Minister of State ask his officials examine cities which have directly elected mayors and the legislation that underpins that?

The Minister of State has laid down the rules under which the plebiscite will be observed. The most critical thing is that people vote. When people come out to vote in the local elections, they vote also in the plebiscite on a directly elected mayor. It will be their mayor for both Limerick city and county.

I note the reference to amalgamations of other local authorities. We have gone through that already. It has not been plain sailing and there have been difficulties but in the main it has brought synergies. In fact, it has been a smooth enough transition. The key component is that we have to have a strong city and a strong county to complement each other.

It is both symbolic and of practical import to have a directly elected mayor for the city of Limerick. Strategically, Limerick city is the best located city in Ireland. In a relatively short number of years, we hope to have the M20 linking Limerick to Cork. We are already directly linked Galway. Shannon Airport, an international airport, is on our doorstep and the Shannon Foynes Port Company is a short distance away. We are on the crest of something great in Limerick. Various projects are going ahead. I refer to the plans for the Opera Centre. We have the former Cleeve's factory site, the hanging gardens and the Gardens International development currently under construction, which is bringing jobs into the city. I compliment Limerick 2030 as well as Limerick City and County Council for attracting projects by these various investors and developers, which are coming to the city.The key issue will be the powers vested in the office of mayor, which will have to be dealt with in a number of areas. What will the powers be? How will those powers relate to the executive? Critically, how will they relate to the current powers and duties of directly elected councillors?

Councillors are exceptionally busy and practical. In recent years there may have been a shift towards the executive away from the councillors. We need to look at that as part of this overall process. How will the mayor interact? With a directly elected mayor we may have a more cohesive and effective chamber with more defined roles for councillors, effectively in some way involving them more in the key elements of the local authority.

Limerick City and County Council has tremendous councillors from my party, Fine Gael, and from others. There is frustration over their role. I welcome the directly elected mayor because it fits very much into where we see Limerick going in future. I make no apology for saying I envisage Limerick challenging to be the second city outside Dublin given where we are based strategically and the resources we have. Of any city in Ireland, Limerick is the easiest one to get to. Everyone is welcome. They come for sporting occasions. Limerick are the current all-Ireland champions.