Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has apologised to the Courts Service following a controversy over time allocated to process parking fines in the county.
In December, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county manager Owen Keegan recommended to councillors that clamping be introduced in the borough to deal with repeat offenders because there was not enough time allocated in the courts to deal with parking fines.
It emerged following his recommendation that the Courts Service had allocated time to the council in June, October and December to deal with 1,000 parking fines, but only eight summonses were processed.
Mr Keegan then told councillors he was unaware of delays in gathering material to pursue parking fines through the courts when he advised them.
Council officials wrote a letter of explanation and apology to the Courts Service over the matter last week. A spokesman for the Courts Service said it was grateful to receive the letter.
"The council also said they would undertake to send an official to apologise in person to staff," the spokesman said.
"We understand this has happened."
Meanwhile, councillors are to debate a motion to reject car clamping at a council meeting tonight.
The section 140 motion directs the county manager to adhere to council policy and not to introduce clamping in the county.
Proposed by councillors Jane Dillon Byrne (Labour) and supported by Cormac Devlin (Fianna Fáil), Kealin Ireland (Green Party), John Bailey (Fine Gael), Niamh Bhreathnach (Labour) and Carrie Smyth (Labour), the cross-party motion will be the first piece of business to be dealt with tonight.
A number of other questions will also be tabled at the meeting in relation to parking fines and clamping, including the issue of why only eight summonses were dealt with in 2006.
Ms Dillon-Byrne said councillors were "entirely misled" by Mr Keegan and there was now even less legitimacy in pursuing clamping.
Mr Devlin said Dún Laoghaire was a suburb and shouldn't be run like the city centre.
"The manager should explore alternative ways to tackle people who don't pay their fines. I am totally against any clamping, it is the thin end of the wedge," he said.
However, Progressive Democrats councillor Mary Mitchell O'Connor said she would support clamping for people who had not paid three or more fines .
"Why should we support people who are giving two fingers to the law?" she asked.
