Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 21:

In page 21, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “(5) Subject to section 145 of the Principal Act, the Mayor must be consulted regarding the appointment of the director general.”.

These amendments relate to the wider issue around the appointment of the chief executive in local government. Specifically, section 145 of the Local Government Act specifies the appointment of a chief executive is a reserved function of the elected council but gives the Minister the power to make regulations around the procedures.

At the moment, the county council is presented with a qualified candidate, which it may either accept or reject from the Public Appointments Service. Here, we are trying to give the elected council more of a role in selecting the best candidate for the role of director general and also ensure that the mayor, who will obviously have a significant working relationship with the director general, would be consulted. These are two roles that will work very closely together to the extent that functions can be delegated between the two roles. We therefore believe the mayor should have an input to the appointment of a director general arises during the term of a mayor.

Amendment No. 21 would insert a new subsection providing that the mayor would have to be consulted. Amendment No. 22 is technical and allows for amendment No. 23. Amendment No. 23 would insert a new section specifying that where a vacancy occurs in the office of director general, the responsibility for the new director general would sit with Limerick City and County Council; that those vacancies will be advertised with the Public Appointments Service, PAS, which will prepare a shortlist of not less than two and not more than four; and that the mayor will be able to provide written observations in relation to those suggested candidates. Therefore, in amendment No. 23 we are outlining a possible mechanism. In the other amendment, we are being a little wider in stating what the form of consultation might be.