Mr. Gary Morton:

In response to the Vice Chairman, they have paid additional fees. One may park there, but without the fear of being clamped. I refer back to clamping. Senator Michael Mullins spoke of paid parking. Paid parking works. Paid parking allows the freeing up of spaces and allows for activity to take place and for customers to go in and out of shops. If one did not have that, the same cars would remain there all day blocking up the roads.

The issue in our area, including Ranelagh, parts of Rathmines and Dunville Avenue where we are, is that there seems to be an immense amount of activity. Some of the stories I can recount are most upsetting. The €80 penalty for somebody who is held up in a dentist's chair or at a doctor's surgery and who is five or ten minutes late returning is much greater than he or she deserves when compared with some chancer who wants to park all day or somebody who has parked illegally or dangerously. These are different offences and should be seen differently. If anything can be done in the local authorities, that needs to be recognised.