Private clamping companies 'crippling town centres'- Kildare TD calls for change in clamping practices

Kildare North TD James Lawless has called on the government to step in and deal with the issue of private party clamping that is 'crippling town centres' across Ireland.

The Fianna Fáil deputy outlined how legislation was brought in more than 18 months ago by the government in an attempt to prevent private clamping companies from charging excessive fees for the removal of clamps on cars in relation to minor offences, but it has little impact on their activities.

“This legislation, which received cross party support, was put in place after it was revealed that certain clamping operators were abusing their position. For example, many motorists received excessive parking fines for minor infringements such as parking on the wrong side of a line or purchasing the wrong ticket from poorly signed parking machines. The operators could charge what they liked and there was a lack of any independent appeals mechanism," explained Deputy Lawless.

“Following ongoing public pressure the Vehicle Clamping Act was finally passed in the Oireachtas and signed into law by the President on the 6th May, 2015. Yet, despite the enactment of that legislation, the reality is that the clampers continue to operate with impunity. Charging excessive release fees, dismissing appeals and acting in a predatory manner is not only hurting motorists but crippling our struggling town centres as they attempt to re-ignite trade this Christmas and recover from the recession.

The fact that the National Transport Authority do not have the resources to implement the new laws is one of the major factors behind the private companies abilities to continue clamping vehicles and charging outrageous release fees according to Deputy Lawless.

“Last month I queried how these practices could be still continuing, and was shocked to discover that despite the legislation being enacted, it has not yet come into force. This is namely because the NTA do not have the resources to implement it. It’s simply ridiculous that the Government has failed to provide the necessary resources for legislation which the Oireachtas has passed into law.

“I raised this issue directly with An Taoiseach Enda Kenny today in the Dáil. I expressed my concern that the NTA are looking to over-complicate it by devising detailed regulations, above and beyond what is needed to sort out this problem once and for all. The Government needs to ensure the NTA is adequately resourced so that this legislation can be enforced as originally intended,” concluded Deputy Lawless.