Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 85:

In page 30, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “Implementation of regeneration projects

38.(1) The Mayor shall be responsible for the implementation and management of regeneration projects in the Limerick City and County Council area.

(2) The Mayor shall be required to submit an annual report that will be reviewed by members of the Local Authority before it is submitted to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.”.

The amendment speaks for itself. I know the Minister of State is a Limerick man who is fully committed to the regeneration of his city. I have discussed this legislation with Limerick city and county councillors and this, more than any others, was one of two or three recurring themes for many of them. This amendment has come about from discussions with them and it suggests that the mayor shall be responsible for the implementation and management of a regeneration programme and projects at Limerick City and County Council. I acknowledge that Limerick has vastly improved in recent years. There has been a huge amount of investment. Looking at the opera quarter, the cathedral or all parts of the city, there are major plans. There is a real confidence about Limerick that I have not seen for many years in the community, the council, business and enterprise, and of course it is so near Shannon and everything. That whole region is really lifting itself up and its spirits are lifting.

This amendment proposes that the mayor shall be required to submit an annual report that will be reviewed by members of the local authority before they submit it to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I am not going to go on at length. The Minister of State knows this area better than anyone in this Chamber.He knows the enthusiasm for the revitalisation and regeneration of commercial activity, for enterprise and for the residential quarters of the town. He knows Limerick. He knows the significance and importance of driving this wonderful city, which it is. It was once very successful, but it has had its blips, problems, and social and economic challenges, but there is a real confidence both in public life, in politics and in the economic life of the city that looks forward to this regeneration. If nothing else, this is where the mayor is going to be most successful and where the mayor is going to be the face of success. People do not like change initially but that would change when it comes to cutting the ribbons and opening these great new developments, having more employment and investment in the area, new homes and vibrant communities, which Limerick city and county deserve.

From talking to the sitting councillors, they believe it is important that the regeneration projects are pushed forward. They see the mayor as being critical, in partnership with everybody else, because it is a stakeholder issue. I know the Government is hugely committed and I know the Minister of State's drive and commitment in that area, as someone who is elected to represent the people there. It is a very reasonable request and I do not see why he would have an issue with it. It will send a very strong message to the city, to business, to the chamber of commerce and, more importantly, to the city and county council on which his own party has a very significant representation, that he is fully behind it. It is a simple ask: to put the mayor at the head of the regeneration projects. I say that in a spirit of co-operation. The mayor would clearly not be running the whole thing, but he is the figurehead of this council. He is the ambassador for these developments and for the success of this community.