I see the Government has rejected the recommendation of the Dail Committee on Transport that clampers be banned from operating on hospital grounds.
Transport Minister Leo Varadkar said this was because some people park recklessly in hospital car parks and could impede others and particularly ambulances.
This is a weak excuse. The figures for such reckless parking in hospital grounds are, I suspect, approaching zero.
All reckless parking has the potential to cause major problems, for example, in front of a fire station, or a doctor’s clinic or simply creating a danger for other drivers.
No, this decision makes me suspicious.
I suspect this special exemption has more to do with protecting the massive profits extracted from hospital visitors than anything to do with public safety.