9 Ean 2012, 13:27
The Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht will play a major role in drafting new legislation to regulate the vehicle clamping industry. This is the first time that a Committee has been asked to help draft Heads of a Bill.
Committee Chairman Ciarán Lynch, TD said: “The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, TD, has asked the Committee to take a role in the pre-Heads of Bill stage and contribute to the initial drafting of the legislation. To assist the Committee, the Minister has forwarded us an options paper prepared by the Department along with an outline of his views on the subject.
The Committee will hold a series of meetings with a number of representative stakeholder groups, such as the City and County Managers’ Association, the Irish Parking Association, AA Ireland and the Consumer Association of Ireland, to consider and discuss their views on what the proposed legislation needs to address.
Written submissions will also be accepted from other groups, where appropriate, to form part of a report which the committee will prepare on the issue. That report will contain a series of recommendations which will inform the drafting of legislation to regulate the industry.”
Among the areas the report will address are:
• The requirement (or not) for new legislation and what the legislation should address (clamping on public and/or private property)
• Who should regulate the industry and what powers should the regulator have
• What should be regulated and appropriateness of clamping and towing procedures
• Funding of regulation
• Licensing system for clamping companies, how it should be operated and amount to be paid
• Standards and code of practice for clamping operators
• Appeals process
• Penalties
• Provisions that should be included in Heads of a Bill
Deputy Lynch said: “The Committee will also examine relevant legislation in other comparable jurisdictions. Among the other issues we will look at are: concerns with existing legislation, or the lack of it, in regard to parking on both private and public property, what should be regulated and who should regulate, the cost implications of regulation, concerns raised by car owners, as well as concerns raised by private and commercial property owners.”
Meetings with interested parties will take place in January and February and the Committee will report to the Minister by 1st April, 2012.
For further information please contact:
Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551
Committee Membership
Deputies:
Ciarán Lynch, Labour Party (Chairman)
Noel Coonan, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
James Bannon, Fine Gael
Paudie Coffey, Fine Gael
Terence Flanagan, Fine Gael
Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Fine Gael
Tony McLoughlin, Fine Gael
Patrick O’Donovan, Fine Gael
Brian Walsh, Fine Gael
Kevin Humphreys, Labour Party
Gerald Nash, Labour Party
Seán Kenny, Labour Party
Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil
Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil
Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil
Sandra McLellan, Sinn Féin
Dessie Ellis, Sinn Féin
Brian Stanley, Sinn Féin
Clare Daly, Socialist Party
Catherine Murphy, Independent
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Independent
Senators:
Cáit Keane, Fine Gael
Catherine Noone, Fine Gael
Labhrás Ó’Murchú, Fianna Fáil
Ned O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil
Eamonn Coghlan, Independent