John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

The Minister for Transport is probably the man responsible for clamping in Dublin. It was the responsibility of the former Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Callely, and may now fall under the remit of his successor, Deputy Gallagher. In the past six months a new company has taken over responsibility for clamping in the city.

A serious incident was brought to my attention last Sunday after I met the Cathaoirleach at the Leinster hurling final. A group of parents of the Kilkenny hurling panel were travelling together and when they left Croke Park at approximately 5.30 p.m. they discovered that the car in which they had travelled was removed from where they had parked it. Most of these people are in their sixties. They assumed the car had been stolen.

An elderly man living in a house nearby told them it might have been clamped. He gave them the telephone number for the clamping company, which they phoned. The company confirmed that the car had been clamped.

They were told to go to a shop two miles away to pay the fine, which they did. That shop did not have the bill and they had to go a further two miles to pay the fine. When they phoned back to the company the man who answered the phone said he did not have a clue where the car was and wished them the best of luck and happy hunting trying to find it.

This is a new company brought on board, I presume, by Dublin City Council, in conjunction with the Department of Transport to oversee clamping operations in Dublin. That behaviour is not acceptable in any context. I urge the Leader to convey my objections to the Department of Transport on that issue.