Court set time for 1,000 parking summonses but only eight issued

The Courts Service has said it made enough time available in 2006 to deal with 1,000 summonses for parking fines issued by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, but the council brought only eight summonses forward.

The statement comes after county manager Owen Keegan said the council needed to introduce car clamping because there was a shortage of time available in the local district court.

Only 60 per cent of fines issued for breach of pay and display parking bylaws are actually being paid, Mr Keegan had said.

A spokesman for the Courts Service said it met the council to address the issue of court time early last year. "The Courts Service fails to understand reports that time is not available to deal with summons related to traffic fines in Dún Laoghaire," he said.

"Early last year the Courts Service personnel met with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to put in place specific arrangements for the hearing of such cases."

He said that on June 21st time was allocated to deal with 200 summonses, but only eight cases were brought.

"On October 11th, the Court Service blocked out time so that up to 300 summonses could have been dealt with, similarly on December 8th, time was allocated whereby up to 500 summonses could be dealt with in relation to traffic offences in Dún Laoghaire," the spokesman said.

On both occasions no summonses were issued by the council, he said. "The courts around the country are very busy, which is why we specifically met with the council to carve out time when traffic summonses could be dealt with," he added.

A pay and display parking scheme was introduced in the Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock and Booterstown areas in March 2002 and subsequently extended to Seapoint, Monkstown, Dalkey and Dundrum. When initially voted in by councillors, an amendment to the bylaws to allow for the introduction of clamping was rejected by them.

Up to September 2004 the enforcement of the bylaws was carried out by wardens. Contractors were appointed in September 2004.

Mr Keegan was unavailable for comment yesterday.