Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise to the committee for being a few minutes late and keeping everybody waiting. I thank Deputies Murphy and Ellis for the amendments they have proposed. I will explain why I cannot accept the amendments, which seek to prohibit or place limits on clamping in hospitals and residential developments. When we debated this Bill on Second Stage last month, I explained in some detail that it is neither about parking policy nor about where clamping should or should not be carried out. This was a deliberate approach from the outset of the legislative process. It is entirely a matter for the owners and management of car parking areas to decide how they want to control parking in their car parks. This Bill should not and will not interfere with such decisions.

Perhaps I will refine that a little. This Bill is not about parking policy itself. That is a matter for local authorities or for people who own certain lands. This Bill is about regulating the activity of clamping, as opposed to determining the parking policy of a third party. It sets out provisions that must be complied with if clamping is used as a means of parking control. The bodies responsible for traffic management or parking controls, including local authorities, State agencies, hospitals and the owners of private lands, will continue to determine traffic management policies for their areas of operation and the means of parking control within them. This is the way it should be. I do not believe it would be appropriate for primary legislation to determine what kind of parking controls should be applied on hospital grounds.

I have experience of many hospitals across the city of Dublin. I have direct experience of Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown. I know what it is like to worry about having to find change in one's pocket to put into a parking meter when one is visiting somebody who is ill or sick. When one goes in to see a patient, one has to be aware of how quickly one will have to leave. One might not have enough change with one. I fully understand all of those issues. Personally speaking, I would like hospitals to find a different way of dealing with parking issues, other than having to clamp. The role of this Bill is not to deal with that policy, however. I fully respect and accept that the owners of land and those who regulate the parking in such areas have the right to set that policy. This is recognised in other legislation. This Bill deals with the activity of clamping itself.

Deputy Murphy made a point about the banning of clamping in residential developments. She might clarify that reference for me.

I assume the Deputy is referring to multi-unit apartment complexes. Am I correct in that?