Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 15, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following:“(8) (a) The NTA shall make regulations stipulating that, in every instance where a charge imposed in accordance with this section is paid before the stipulated deadline, where applicable, the total charge payable shall be reduced by half.

(b) The regulations stipulated in paragraph (a) shall apply to charges issued in respect of wrongfully parked vehicles at statutory clamping places and nonstatutory clamping places.”.

Originally, the committee of which I was a member was responsible for the environment, local government, arts, heritage, the Gaeltacht, transport, tourism and sport but it was reformed as part of Dáil reform and the transport and tourism elements were removed. That committee had some debate on the issue of parking and some pre-legislative scrutiny was carried out as a consequence. Therefore, this Bill had a double opportunity for pre-legislative scrutiny. One of the issues I raised in that committee had the widespread support of the committee and the Chairman at the time included it in a press statement.

I suggested that we would provide for an arrangement like they do in other jurisdictions, where they reduce the administration and, where fixed penalties are applied and people pay them early, say within 14 days, the penalty is reduced. It does not have to be halved. This has the benefit of reducing the amount of administration involved but, at the same time, does not remove the sanction.

Often, when private contractors are employed to administer the system, there is a dual process. Similar to the proposed clamping arrangements, the clampers will look at it and then the people dealing with the sanction will look at it. The local authority might also look at it. From my experience a sizable amount of routine problems arise with paid parking and sanctions. This would be a way of gaining a greater level of acceptance and improving the situation from an administrative point of view yet still retaining the sanction. The same kind of sanction is in place in Belfast. It works very well. There was a trial run and it was then formally adopted. This is how it is generally done. As I say, it is not something that is just picked out of the air. It is available in other places.