I move amendment No. 14:—
Before Section 12 to insert a new section as follows:—
The Minister may by order (after consultation with the local authority concerned) create the office of city officer in respect of the council of a borough, and the duties and functions of such city officer shall be the same as the duties and functions of a county officer as defined in this Act.
The purpose of this new section is to permit borough councils to have a city officer of their own, to carry out the executive functions now carried out by the county managers. As many people know, there are some large urban areas which are not county boroughs but which are very close to that position in population and valuation and which have immense difficulties which require the attention of a whole-time officer who would carry out the executive functions of that area. Such is the case, for example, in Galway, which led me to put down this amendment. There you have a large growing city and also a very large county. It has very many difficult local problems, which require the attention of a full-time officer. The present system which allows that work to be done by the county manager, who is an official of the county council, is not, in my opinion, satisfactory. I think anyone would agree that in a large county like that it is nearly impossible for one individual to give sufficient attention to the problems that arise. The county manager has to look after the county council, Ballinasloe Mental Hospital, the Central Hospital, Loughrea Children's Home, Ballinasloe Urban Council, Tuam and Loughrea Town Commissioners. It is a physical impossibility for that person to give attention to a town like Galway when he has so many other particular duties on his hands.
There is one very important feature of the whole matter. As many people must know, the relationship that exists between urban councils, borough councils and county councils is sometimes rather difficult because borough councils contribute to the county-at-large charges, not on services rendered but on a fractional basis which is the valuation of the county health district divided by the borough valuation. I am sure the Minister knows that there are many urban areas and borough areas which find this a great burden. They have to pay on the gross valuation, not on the collectable valuation.
Take a manager for both bodies. Every action of the manager for the county council becomes a burden on the borough council of which he is also manager. The result is that when the borough council meets to discuss matters which are inter-related between the borough council and the county council, they have to deal with a manager who is also acting for the county council and it is practically impossible for him, unless he is a person of split mind, to dissociate himself from his main employers, the county council. I believe that many of the urban areas, and particularly the borough areas, could be more efficiently run if they had an officer of their own carrying out these executive functions.
I do not want to delay the House on this matter, but I think the Minister will agree, particularly as regards the large borough areas, in view of the fact that the relations sometimes— more especially the financial relations between the counties and boroughs— are of a rather difficult nature, that it would be better if the borough council had a particular officer advising them so that they will be better protected and they will get better value for their money and that the county council contribution will be as they think fit.