Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman. I also want to refer to the issue of parking charges. It is more than three years since a €10-per-day cap on parking at hospitals was promised. Fianna Fáil went further and promised free parking, but this regressive tax on sick people and their relatives and friends who are faced with inadequate public transport infrastructure remains in place. According to the Irish Independentin early January, the HSE generates €12 million per annum from car parking charges. It can cost €15 a day to part in St James’s Hospital and the Mater hospital and €14.50 at St. Vincent’s University Hospital. Hospital parking charges were abolished in recent years in Scotland and Wales and they should be abolished here.

It is time for the Government to stop charging for essential healthcare and for transport to allow people to access it. It is also time to stop harassing cancer patients and others with debt collectors, particularly as these patients have more than enough to be dealing with. We support the motion and thank the Social Democrats for bringing it forward.

See this speech in context