Gormley: 'right and proper'

Minister for the environment John Gormley and the Department of Finance are in dispute over whether ministerial cars will be exempted from a €200 annual parking levy introduced in the budget.

Speaking at a press conference last week, Gormley said he thought it was only "right and proper" that ministerial cars should be included in the levy, which relates to employees in cities whose employer provides them with a car parking space.

Under the plans announc­ed by Brian Lenihan, parking spaces for members of the houses of the Oireachtas will be included in the scheme.

But a spokesman for the minister told the Sunday Tribune Gormley believes any spaces allocated for ministerial cars should be included. "It would be in the spirit of the measure. This is meant as a measure to put a price on driving in congested areas," he said. "The minister accepts absolutely that there could be logistical and practical issues with applying a charge for a car space that is not their own." But Gormley would like to see a provision allowing for the charge to apply to ministerial car parking spaces included in "whatever system is agreed".

According to a spokesman for the Department of Finance, the likelihood is that ministerial transport "will not be included as these cars are not privately owned but are operated, controlled and provided by An Garda Síochána..."

He said this aspect "remains to be confirmed", but said: "Ministers of state use their own privately owned vehicles so it is expected that the levy will be paid by them in cases where departments provide them with a designated space."