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

First, if Senator Gavan goes to section 7 of the Bill, it provides that the Minister “shall, not later than 3 months after the end of that period of 3 years, or on the completion of the review, whichever is the earlier, make a report, in writing”. The report has to be made, if he wants to go with his absolute, three years and three months after the mayor is elected. Second, it can be done. I would certainly hope that it would commence before that. If you have to produce a report within three years and three months after the mayor comes in, by definition you will have to start the work on that long before that date. I want to allow the time. The IAG report was a major benefit to the legislation. It brought in all the stakeholders. People may have some areas on which they do not agree but I want to allow that window to ensure that it is robust. I take the point the Senator is making but I still hold that the IAG itself recommended three years. That was something that came from a wide-ranging stakeholders group in Limerick on the Bill and I am still not minded to accept.

Turning to Senator Higgins, this Bill is about the mayor of Limerick. It is not necessarily about the wider issue. That is something we are always looking at. One thing I have looked to ensure is that the reserve powers of the councillors, like anywhere else in the country, remain intact in Limerick City and County Council. Instead of the CEO, the mayor will bring it but it will be voted on as a reserved function of the councillors. Development plans will be brought by the mayor but they will be a reserved function of the council chamber. It will be chaired by one of the other 40 councillors. The deputy speaker will be one of the other 40 councillors. That is something that came specifically out of the IAG report. The Senator makes a good general point but we believe it is not relevant to this specific legislation.

On Senator Higgins’ core point about elected members, it has to be that the councillors have primacy. As it stands the CEO is responsible to the members. The executive is responsible to the CEO and it goes down along. Under the Bill, the mayor is responsible to the house.When I say "the house", I mean the chamber and councillors. It still comes back to the chamber. In the round, Limerick City and County Council is the correct forum. That means a review is being done. Every single component of the council, namely, the mayor, elected chamber and executive, is included.

The Senator referred to bringing back a report. It is something I will consider. We feel it is robust as it is and we do not want to interfere with anything that might provide some degree of ambiguity around the area. The intent of the Senator's point is exactly what we believe we have provided for in section 7(2) of the Bill.