THE IRISH LABOUR PARTY has endorsed the decision of the British coalition government to ban car clamping on private property, and has called on the government here to introduce similar rules.

Junior minister at the Home Office, Lynne Featherstone, announced new legislation today which will ban private firms from operating clamping services on property not owned by the state, including shopping centres, hospital car parks and university campuses.

Similar laws have been in effect in Scotland for two decades already. More than 2,000 existing licences for clamping services will be revoked under the plans, which will come into effect in England and Wales shortly after the appropriate bills are introduced in November.

Labour’s environment spokeswoman Joanna Tuffy has complimented the move, and believes there is a “strong case” for similar rules to be introduced in Ireland.

Complaining that clamping was being used by some private landowners as a means of raising extra revenue, Tuffy said that “people parking in hotel, hospital or shopping centre cark parks often find themselves clamped without adequate signage warning them” and criticised transport minister Noel Dempsey who had “consistently” refused to consider reform of the sector.

Fine Gael transport spokesman Simon Coveney added that the current legislation allowed “almost anyone” to set up a clamping company and to be awarded a licence to trade, without any significant government regulation. He said Fine Gael would publish proposals for similar legislation shortly.

The Irish Parking Association, which represents Ireland’s clamping licencees, has called for reform of the trade previously.