Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Okay.

I welcome this. It is very important that the people of Limerick have a directly elected mayor but, as the public will not take the decision lightly, the roles of the new mayor and CEO must be clear and unambiguous, as must be the new powers the new mayor will have. The proposals must be rolled out to the public in a way that is separate from the local authority in order that people can perceive the role as being completely independent. A directly elected mayor could substantially enhance Limerick city with regard to investment abroad and how the public interacts with the local authority.

When does the Minister of State expect to finalise the proposals? The sooner they are in the public domain the more they can be perused so that when it comes to the plebiscite, the public will be familiar and happy with them and people will be able to make a very clear decision on something that they know will do what it says on tin. We will then have a directly elected mayor to represent the people of Limerick in the best possible way.