Sinn Féin TD for Limerick City Maurice Quinlivan has called the publishing of the Housing and Local Government Committee report on the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the Democratically Elected Mayor of Limerick Bill “an important milestone on the journey towards the holding of the election”.

Teachta Quinlivan said:

“The publishing of this report is an important step towards holding an election of a Democratically Elected Mayor of Limerick.

“I hope now that the Minister will take the views of the Committee on board and ensure that any future Mayor of Limerick has sufficient powers to execute their role independently.

“It has been over two years since the people of Limerick voted in favour of the proposal to have an elected Mayor.

“While Covid has delayed the publishing of the bill and the holding of an election, it is important that the bill is published, and an election date is set in the quickest possible time frame.

“The longer we delay on this, the less appetite the public will have for the holding of such an election.

“The most important thing is that the Mayor is furnished with sufficient powers. The establishment of an elected Mayoral position in Limerick will be the forerunner to any attempt to create such an elected position in other counties.

“It is crucial that we get this right, not only for the people for Limerick but also as a beacon of what can be achieved when powers are devolved.

“When the question was put to the people of Limerick, we were supportive of the proposal.

“We continue to be so, and we are committed to ensuring that any future democratically elected mayor of Limerick will have sufficient powers to perform their functions.

“We in Sinn Féin will work to ensure this legislation is fit for purpose and will be submitting any necessary amendments so as to ensure this bill is right and that the important powers are devolved to a future elected Mayor of Limerick.

“This is a great opportunity; it is an opportunity to put power in the hands of an elected mayor instead of unelected officials.

“There are many challenges in Limerick that need to be addressed and there is an important role for any elected Mayor to play in addressing these. We simply must get it right.”