CLAMPERS ARE facing stricter regulations following a decision by Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar to examine the industry.
The Minister, announcing the move yesterday, said he wanted to bring in a new system which protected motorists from exploitation and benefited legitimate clamping operators, “but which still penalises bad parking behaviour”.
Mr Varadkar is proposing a Bill on clamping and, as part of the process, intends to present outline proposals to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport by the end of the month.
The committee will consult interested parties, including clamping operators, local authorities and the public.
It will then report back to the department after which a new clamping regulation Bill will be drafted.
The committee will be asked to examine:
* the possibility of a licence or permit system for clampers;
* how best to ensure that people employed by clamping companies are of good repute;
* new operating guidelines for clamping companies;
* whether the licensing system should be operated by an existing State agency
the locations in which any new regime should apply, for example apartment blocks, shopping centres or local authority areas.
Mr Varadkar said yesterday that as it stood, the current system of clamping on private property was under-regulated, bad for motorists and bad for business.
“Members of the public have expressed serious concerns about the activity of some private clampers. In particular, allegations have been made of clampers behaving in a less than fair manner, yet there is no appeals mechanism against these perceived abuses,” Mr Varadkar said.
“There is no legislation specifically covering the clamping of vehicles parked on private property and the legal position is unclear.
“We want to bring in a new system which protects motorists from exploitation and benefits legitimate operators, but which still penalises bad parking behaviour.”