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

Amendments No. 17 from the Civil Engagement Group and No. 18 from Sinn Féin and the Labour Party aim to change the manner in which the staff of the mayor are appointed. The appointment of staff to the office of the mayor was the subject of much debate in the Dáil, both on Committee Stage and Report Stage.

The Bill, as published, provides that the director general would appoint the office staff, in line with their responsibility for staffing matters. I believe it is critically important to have a well-functioning mayoral office from the outset. I amended the Bill on Report Stage in the Dáil. It did say that the director general "shall assign". I changed that to say that they "shall assign after consultation with the mayor". It now provides that the Mayor will be consulted. I am satisfied that this will enhance the support structure that I wish to place around the office of mayor and that it will not unduly impinge upon the director general’s function for staffing matters, which is set out in the implementation advisory group report and the general scheme.

This amendment places a consultation process, which was likely to take place anyway, on a statutory footing. I would also like to make the point that the mayor appoints their own special adviser. I would like to put this into context. This is a very similar role to the role of a Minister of State. Ministers of State have special advisers and they are appointed independently. Similarly, the mayor would be able to appoint a special adviser of their own choosing outside or inside the local authority. There are great people inside the local authority as well. The four members of staff will be appointed from within the local authority and obviously in consultation with the mayor. I would expect that the mayor would be involved in the interview process of anyone who is appointed to the office of mayor. I think that is very important.

I am conscious that there is a large number of staff members working in Limerick City and County Council. They want certainty. It was what was put to the people in a plebiscite that the staffing functions would remain with the director general, similar to any Government Department. What we have put in place here allows the mayor to take on a special adviser. There is such a wide skillset within the local authority. It is similar to how there is such a wide skillset in my departmental staff, both involved in the mayoral bill and other staff. It is hugely important that we involve that level of expertise, both within and without. On that basis, I believe that the amendment to this provision in the Dáil achieves the right balance. It now states there should be consultation with the mayor. Accordingly, I cannot accept these amendments. I know the spirit in which they were tabled, but this is something I have put a lot of thought into and I think we have struck a fair and reasonable balance.