Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for their frank and open contributions. Obviously they have detailed knowledge of working with local authority members. In the time I have I will go through the points they raised.

Senator McGahon made reference to the fresh start principle. That will apply not only to people in insolvency arrangements, but also to people who have been divorced or separated. It provides a fresh start and is a very good measure.

Senator Boyhan raised a number of points. I will start with the principle and go back to basics. The basics are that the people of Limerick voted for a plebiscite that was put to them. Senator Byrne was director of elections at the time and I commend her on her work. When I was appointed to this position, I went back to the core of the source documents, namely, what was put to the people. The proposal was that certain functions would remain with the director general and others would transfer to the directly elected mayor. The areas that remain with the mayor are around staff. One of those issues was to provide certainty for the couple of hundred additional staff working in Limerick City and County Council.

A number of other areas would remain with the director general, including administration of schemes, grants and loans. I mentioned staffing. The director general would remain the Accounting Officer, similar to a Secretary General of a Department. The role would be in that area and in terms of housing. I have been absolutely true to that. I did not in any way want to affect the current role of the councillors in the chamber. They are unaffected. A príomh chomhairleoir and leas-phríomh chomhairleoir - mayor and deputy mayor - will replace the cathaoirleach and leas-chathaoirleach.The mayor brings the budget to the chamber, not to the current CEO or the DG. That is a seismic shift. The mayor is responsible for bringing that budget to the chamber. The reserved function on the annual budget is still retained with the councillors, of whom the mayor will be one. There are 40 councillors in Limerick. They will be 40 plus one; 41. The physical bringing of the budget will entirely be the preserve of the mayor, not the DG. That is a seismic shift. You have an overall budget of more than half a billion. That is seismic.

Second, the mayor can delegate. The current legislation is true to what the people voted on, but there is a three year review. I go back to Senator Byrne's point about evolution of powers. I have looked at a multitude of directly elected mayors. Many of them have not worked. Liverpool is going away from a directly elected mayor, as is Bristol. I am conscious of that. I am also conscious of the fact that 48% of the public voted against a directly elected mayor in Limerick, so we have to bring people with us. The structures are strong, and that is of great importance. It is a full-time position. Many Members of the Oireachtas are not full-time Oireachtas Members. We want to ensure we get the best people running, but ultimately the role is full time.

In terms of staffing, the mayor will appoint a special adviser externally, or internally if he or she wishes. There may be some good people in the local authority. I know in my role that there are enormous skill sets within the local authority. However, the mayor will be involved in the appointment of the four staff within his or her office, the same as a Minister of State, like me, is. I think that is hugely important. Once again, there will be a review mechanism and I hope we will see the evolution of the role with that. It is hugely important that this gets off on a firm footing. Senator Malcolm Byrne made reference to the seven pages. Effectively, there is a myriad of legislation that arises over time. The number of pages should not be looked at, because one page can have far more content than five, six, seven or eight pages. It is down to the core legislation they are implementing. That is hugely important.

I return to the point about the evolution of the role. The mayor will have a budget that he or she will get from the central Exchequer of approximately €8 million per year. The mayor can roll out his or her mayoral programme; it is his or her programme. That was not discussed here today. The council continues to have the reserve function over putting through the budget but it is brought by the mayor. That is hugely important. Second, the mayoral programme will be put to the people when candidates go out to canvass. The mayor must be able to implement that programme. The mayor will bring it to a consultative forum, to which her or she can bring all stakeholders, on a statutory basis, for any matter. That is completely new. The mayor will have a statutory engagement with national government, which is completely new. It is not a question of asking; it is a defined legal right in this Bill. That is hugely important. The chamber itself remains as normal. The mayor will roll out his or her programme with that €8 million per year, or thereabouts. He or she must also consult with the chamber. The chamber cannot have a veto because ultimately, the people have decided and voted. That is the democratic wish of the people. Certainly, any mayor who wants it to work will have to get the involvement and support of the members of the chamber. Those are the laws of politics. It is hugely important that it can be brought through.