CLAMPING of car wheels may be adopted in Dublin city to help reduce the annual non payment of fines amounting to £3.5 million. The appointment soon by Dublin Corporation of a director of traffic would signal the start of a "get tough" policy, Mr Eric Byrne (DL) said at yesterday's meeting of the Dail Public Accounts Committee.
The committee heard that 436,000 on the spot fines with a face value of £9 million were issued to motorists in Dublin each year. The 40 per cent voluntary payment rate amounted to only £3.6 million. In the remaining 60 per cent of cases, problems over summons service resulted in a devalue loss of about £3.5 million.
It was expected that new rules would raise the service rate from a face value of about £1.8 million to £3 million.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr John Purcell, said the Departments Mr Justice and the Environment were trying to do something about the present, unsatisfactory system. Perhaps it was time to look at the systems in other countries where they worked, he said.
When Mr Tommy Broughan (Labour) asked if this would include clamping, Mr Purcell replied that there were always options to be considered.