Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is saying this is about clamping and not whether vehicles are being clamped on private property, a matter that is for the hospital or whatever. One could almost say that the scope of this Bill covers the public and private sectors in the sense that the Minister is setting the rules for the private sector when it comes to clamping. Those in that sector could claim they were operating on private property. If the Minister is making that argument for hospitals he could certainly make the argument for regulating clamping. While the Minister said he does not envisage any role in terms of dealing with the hospitals, at the very least his Department should write to all those concerned and inform the local authorities that this is unacceptable. One of the most reprehensible things I have come across is to see sick people coming out from hospital and finding their car is clamped. I do not think we should rest the matter at that. We are debating the Vehicle Clamping Bill and the Minister has stated his position but I do not necessarily accept it. Therefore, we should inform all the hospitals and the local authorities that there needs to be a better way of dealing with this issue and give some direction and state that the Minister is dissatisfied with what is happening.