Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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671. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to regulate the clamping industry; if he plans to discourage clamping in tourism towns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21079/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government contains a commitment “to legislate to regulate the vehicle clamping industry”. Therefore, I asked the then Joint Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and Gaeltacht to provide views on the initial draft of the legislation. The Committee carried out a number of hearings on the matter and published detailed recommendations on the issues that should be included. In March 2013, the Government approved the drafting of a Regulation of Vehicle Immobilisation Bill. The Bill is currently being drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and, contingent on Government approval to publish the Bill,  I hope to introduce it in the Oireachtas in the coming months. In relation to the use of clamping in tourist towns, the choice of parking control measures is at the discretion of the relevant local authority and it would be inappropriate to legislate for the manner in which such discretion might be exercised.