CLAMPING COMPANIES:ACCOUNTS FILED by clamping companies show varying degrees of profit from their operations. The country's largest clamping operators include:
APCOA Parking Ireland
Gross profit €1.38 million; Post-tax profit €652,047, for the year ending December 2008.
The company was set up in Ireland in 1998. It has its head office in Lucan village in Dublin, with other offices in Cork, Galway, Sligo, Newbridge, Greystones and in the greater Dublin area.
It handles on-street parking enforcement for South Dublin, Fingal County, Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown and Wicklow County Councils, though it does not implement clamping in these areas.
It also provides off-street car park management for a number of universities, hospitals, transport hubs and retail parks.
Euro Car Parks (Ireland)
Gross income €10.4 million; Post-tax profit €269,123 for the year ending December 31st, 2008.
Euro Car Parks was set up in 1998 and employs about 200 people in Ireland. Approximately five of these employees are engaged in clamping. The company offers a range of parking services, including multi-storey car parks, as well as hospital, airport, university and rail parking facilities and shopping centres.
CEO David Cullen said that in the absence of Irish legislation, the company voluntarily complies with the British Parking Association Code of Practice and would welcome regulation of the sector.
Nationwide Controlled Parking Systems (NCPS)
Gross profit €4.9 million; post-tax profit €63,084 for the year ending August 31st, 2009.
NCPS is a management company with divisions in parking, security, technology and consultancy services.
One of the largest parking operators in the Republic, the company employs 350 people and provides services to both the private and public sector.
Its clients include Irish Rail, Ballymore Properties and University College Dublin.
An appeals procedure is in place to facilitate written appeals.
They can be lodged for review and consideration, after payment has been made online, at www.webappeals.ie.
A full time appeals officer handles all appeals.
Dublin Street Parking Services (DSPS)
No accounts filed, as it is a private unlimited company and is not required to file accounts to the Companies Registration Office.
DSPS was set up in 2004 and provides a single contract clamping service for Dublin City Council, for which it supplies an on-street clamping service. The company employs approximately 100 staff.
Accounts for DSPS are not filed, as it is an unlimited company. But under the Road Transport and Safety section of Dublin City Council's 2009 budget, it is stated the council's adopted expenditure for parking enforcement, which is carried out by DSPS, stood at €9,940,392.
The annual report of the city council's parking appeals officer for 2009 showed the number of clamps, removals or relocations of cars by DSPS stood at 60,948.
A spokesman for DSPS said it would welcome a national framework for regulation along the lines of that provided by Dublin City Council.