Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, who has put a considerable amount of work into this issue. I want to get into the substantive issue. This is very much democracy at work. The people of Limerick and in the other cities will decide for themselves if they want to have a directly elected mayor. It is critical that what is put to the people is something they believe is valid and credible and has not been rushed. Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council were amalgamated some time ago. One of the unintended consequences initially was that there were two mayors. That issue had not been looked at. It so happened that in the first year both mayors had the same surname, which caused a great degree of confusion. It is very important that what is put in place work.

The Minister of State stated the proposed office of directly elected mayor should help to bridge the gap. He needs to define what he means by "bridge the gap." What position will the mayor occupy? What powers will he or she have? What powers will be reallocated from the county manager or the CEO? The chamber must be left intact in respect of the reserved functions of councillors. What new powers will the mayor have? I listened to Senator Humphreys who mentioned that the mayor would be akin to a Minister. Every time a Secretary General comes before the Committee of Public Accounts and we ask him or her a question, he or she answers it by stating it is a matter of policy or a matter for the Government. If the mayor is to be the equivalent of a Minister, who will decide on policy? That is the critical point. There are areas where I think having a mayor would be extremely important. For instance, there is a general view among councillors that the change in powers has moved in one direction, away from them and towards the CEO. How then will we ensure we define the role of mayor clearly? The role of CEO is clearly defined, as is the interaction between the mayor and the CEO. The role of the chamber and its members is also clearly defined. I am assuming that, if the people of Limerick decide to opt to have a directly elected mayor, there will be an increase in the number of members from 40 to 41. Will the CEO be a member of Limerick City and County Council? He or she will sit on the council-----