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

The amendment seeks to expand the focus of the review of the Act. This will include identifying potential additional reserved functions for the elected council by assessing where powers of the mayor and the elected members intersect. I highlight that the purpose of this section is to allow for review of the operational effectiveness of this historic legislation. As the focus of the review will be on the new roles and structures in place in Limerick, it would not be an appropriate avenue for considering the powers of elected members. This issue came up on Committee Stage and my position remains unchanged. As I noted on that Stage, a key principle in the development of the Bill is that it does not remove any reserved functions and does not provide any new reserved functions. Reserved functions are consistent across all local authorities. This is about the mayor. I have been at pains to point out that a core principle of the legislation is that the reserved powers of the existing councillors within Limerick City and County Council remain unchanged. That is the case. It is consistent across all local authorities. The Bill is specifically about the mayor of Limerick. On that basis, I cannot accept the amendment, though I am aware of its intent. It is probably for another area of legislation.