Ms Averil Power:

It depends. We get a block that we then have to divide out. In the past, everybody has got the same amount regardless of distance. That is something we have raised with the Department. We feel the amount should reflect the longer distances some people are travelling. It also needs to be increased so that a much more significant amount is available, particularly for those who are travelling longer and on many occasions. That is certainly something we have advocated for. The other transport-related issue people raise with us is parking charges at hospitals. The Senator will have seen that we have done a great deal of public advocacy on that recently. It is very much a postcode lottery; it depends on where you live. There are many hospitals that do not charge cancer patients at all while others have concessions for cancer patients and family members who are visiting them. However, when we did a survey recently, we found that, of the 27 hospitals surveyed, ten had no concessions for cancer patients with the result that some people were paying €15 a day for parking when attending appointments. That is certainly something we have raised. We are particularly conscious of those who have to travel long distances and then pay parking charges at hospitals.

With regard to the scheme, I will defer to the expertise of Friends of the Earth as to the mechanics and how they could work better.