Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are both agreed that there is a difference between clamping on a public road or public property and in a private space. It is a judgment call as to whether one prohibits the latter. In my constituency, there are a lot of apartment buildings near train stations and before clamping was introduced in them, those who lived there could not park in their own development and their visitors could not visit them because commuters were using those private developments to park for the train station. As a result, clamping was brought in and has been effective. Similarly, there is a shopping centre in my constituency where people could not park to go to the shops in the car park paid for by the shops because motorists were using it for commuter parking purposes. Since they have brought in clamping, people can go to the shops and park in the car park for that purpose. It is a judgment call, but there is on balance room for regulated clamping on private property.

The legislation, which I hope to publish before the recess, will address the issue Deputy Catherine Murphy mentions where there are different companies doing different things. It will bring in standards, a maximum fee, rules around signage and an independent appeals mechanism.

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