Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and his officials for their dedication to this Bill. A lot of work has been put into it. There are exciting times ahead for Limerick as it becomes the first city in the country to have a directly elected mayor. As colleagues said, other cities and counties will be looking at what happens and how the position evolves in Limerick city and county. It is very appropriate that people there will go the polls on the same say as the local elections. Local government is alive and well in Limerick. The Minister of State engaged with elected officials and councillors in Limerick City and County Council and also with business communities and leaders. Among them was Tim O'Connor and the members of his committee, to whom I pay tribute. They put a lot of work into the 40-plus recommendations in the report that are included in the legislation.

I wish all success to the Bill. It will put Limerick on a pedestal in that the new office will not only be the driver of Limerick city and county but also the driver of the mid-west. We need a strong city in terms of driving economic development, education and so on. Many different spheres will come under the remit of the directly elected mayor. It remains to be seen who the candidates will be. I wish whomever is the directly elected mayor of Limerick all the best.