Hospital car park charges to be reviewed

The Government is to launch a review of car parking charges in hospitals with a view to launching a national policy.

Minister for Health Simon Harris is to make the announcement Friday after it emerged €13 million was collected by public hospitals last year.

Currently, there is no policy governing car parking charges, meaning each individual hospital makes its own local arrangement.

The Health Service Executive has no oversight of the levies imposed and does not centrally collect information about the rates.

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St Vincent’s hospital charges up to €14 a day, while Cork University Hospital charges a maximum of €15 a day.

Mr Harris said the review would be carried out by the HSE and would seek to form a national policy on the issue.

The Minister told The Irish Times he had listened to the concerns of the Irish Cancer Society and others, who have raised the matter consistently.

This review will examine existing arrangements within hospitals, the financial impact of parking charges on patients and families, the data in relation to the income generated from these charges, and any other factors.

“It is my intention that we will then have clear national guidelines on this area for the very first time.”