The piece that is a little bit different is just clarifying the role of the mayor in that. Of course, as an elected councillor they can come forward with these proposals. I did not want to remove that function of the elected council. However, I do want whatever candidates there are for mayor of Limerick - it is not going to be me - to be able to go out and talk to the people of Limerick about the initiatives, projects, peers or equivalent set of cities he or she wants Limerick to be co-operating with, for example t…

In light of the indications that there is no obstacle to co-operation agreements, I am happy to withdraw the amendment.

I move amendment No. 83: In page 29, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: "United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 35. In performing functions under this Act or any other enactment, the Mayor shall act in a manner consistent with achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities.". We have already discussed this matter. Perhaps the Minister of State could take the opportunity to indicate how he intends to approach it on Repor…

In light of that, I am happy to withdraw the amendment.

I move amendments No. 84: In page 29, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: "United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 35. In performing functions under this Act or any other enactment, the Mayor shall act in a manner consistent with the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.". Amendment No. 84 introduces a new section mandating that, "In performing functions under this Act or any other enactment, the Mayor shall act in a…

I will withdraw it but reserve the right to reintroduce it or something similar on Report Stage. I thank the Minister of State for his engagement.

I wish to very briefly say that I support this amendment. It is a very important area. It is exactly the kind of area in which we would like to see mayoral leadership. It is the kind of thing that people can run on, namely, is a vision for regeneration. That is why it is unfortunate that one of the many powers which, under the Schedule, do not lie with the mayor but, rather, sit with the director general, the CEO, is that relating to the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015. The purpose of Government amendment N…

I thank the Minister of State for some of his responses. On amendment No. 12, it was useful to hear that there may be some form of a get-around in terms of clarity around the executive functions previously held by the chief executive. I am still really concerned with regard to amendments Nos. 9 and 10. What I want is an absolutely clear response in terms of what the mechanism will be to remove items from the Schedule. At the moment, we have a seven or eight-page Schedule. Each line on those seven or eight pages lis…

I do not think people were expecting that so much would be out of reach of the person they elect. Disempowering the mayor in this way is disempowering the people of Limerick. When they vote, they will be directly voting for a mayor and that mayor will have his or her hands tied by this Schedule. In a whole raft of areas, they will not be able to take action. We will be saying, "Sorry, that is none of your business." I spoke previously about some of the areas, which are hotly debated. People will make decisions on w…

To be clear, nothing in these amendments will take any powers away from elected councillors. These amendments relate specifically to those powers that are given to the chief executive, now to be called the director general, and are reserved away from the mayor. I do not think the Minister of State's analogy works. We do not tend to pass legislation here that states "the Secretary General shall do this”, "the Secretary General shall do that" or “the Secretary General will decide how they feel about national monument…

I move amendment No. 9: In page 14, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(3) Functions conferred by or under any enactment specified in Part 2 of Schedule 1 may be removed from that Part and thus conferred on the Mayor by resolution of the elected council, with such a resolution requiring a simple majority.”.

I move amendment No. 10: In page 14, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(3) Functions conferred by or under any enactment specified in Part 2 of Schedule 1 may be removed from that Part and thus conferred on the Mayor by resolution of the elected council, with such a resolution requiring a two-thirds majority.”.

I move amendment No. 12: In page 14, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following: “(6) For the purposes of the operation of this Act, the director general shall prepare and submit to the Mayor and the elected members of Limerick City and County Council a list of executive functions previously held by the chief executive.”.

I move amendment No. 13: .In page 16, after line 38, to insert the following: “(2) Prior to making a determination under subsection (1), the Minister shall consult with the Mayor and the elected members of Limerick City and County Council.”.

I move amendment No. 14: In page 17, to delete lines 1 to 25 and substitute the following: “ Attendance before council 17. (1) The Mayor shall be entitled and required to appear before Limerick City and County Council. (2) The Mayor shall be entitled to speak and participate in discussions and move motions at meetings of Limerick City and County Council and he or she shall be required to make themselves available to attend such meetings on a regular basis. (3) The Mayor may not exercise a vote at such meetings. (4)…

I am happy to leave amendments Nos. 14 and 15 aside for now because I hear what the Minister of State is saying about the reserved functions and ensuring the powers are there. Amendment No. 16 would just be adding that requirement for accountability; it does not change anything else. It does not limit the powers of the mayor in attending meetings, functioning as a normal councillor, putting forward motions, voting and so forth, but it puts in that requirement that they be accountable because at the moment we do not…

I am going to withdraw the amendment and reserve the right to bring it back on Report Stage. I will examine that.

I move amendment No. 16: In page 17, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following: “(3) The Mayor shall be accountable to the elected members of Limerick City and County Council in the performance of his or her functions, unless otherwise specified in this or another enactment.”.

I move amendment No. 17: In page 17, line 27, to delete “The director general, after consultation with the Mayor,” and substitute “The Mayor”. A fundamental issue and concern with this legislation is that the mayor is not necessarily being given the powers or discretion to hire their own staff, which is something that could create an obstacle. I cannot imagine a situation where a Minister would have the majority of their special advisers hired by the Secretary General, but the director general or chief executive is…

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 regu…