Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

There is an awareness and agreement, at least among the contributors, that there is a significant problem here. Citizens who can least afford it are carrying a significant burden that they should not be carrying. Unfortunately what we have got from the Government is a nebulous maybe; they might have a look into it, review the situation, think about it for a little bit longer. On one side of the scales we have a crisis in many people's lives who are suffering a life and death situation; on the other we have a Government with no real intent to do anything about this at all. If we are brutally honest with each other, as we should be here because we should not mess with people's minds when it comes to this sort of stuff, there is no intent from the Government to grasp this nettle in any way. There is no intent on its part to back the Bill, either. If it does not make it through, we will be going into the next election in three or four years' time with people putting this issue on their manifestoes again. We will be going to the people and knocking on doors saying we will do this.

I always think it is funny how when a political party is speaking before an election it knows the problem and the solutions. Then when it gets into government, it has to do a review and a study of it and work it out. I listened to the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, on the radio talking about the review and study they are doing on the accommodation for women suffering from domestic violence. We do not need a review to tell us about the problem. The problem is as plain as the nose on my face and known for years. A review is a method not to do something. It is a form of political procrastination and a strategy for inertia. It is written right over this Government in so many ways, which is a major pity. As I said in the other debate on the cost of living, the only thing warm in this country at the moment is the Government's hands because it is sitting on them so often. That is the truth. It is terrible because the Minister of State has this special, once in a lifetime opportunity to actually make a difference.

I spoke to a former Fine Gael Minister who told me that when he went into Departments, he was surrounded by people with PhDs, degrees and masters who had been in those Departments for years. They could think of 100 reasons something should not be done.

However, nothing changes if people think of a hundred reasons something should not be done. The people who make a difference are not those who think of reasons something cannot, may not or should not happen; the people who change things are those who forget about those issues and find solutions every time they need to.

This Bill may not be perfect, although I believe it is very good. Much of the rhetoric I have heard about the potential for this or that problem to arise does not reflect the reality. The three-hour limit does not allow for a free-for-all in a car park. The technology exists to measure people’s use of car parks. People may have to get their tickets stamped at the reception desk in the department in the hospital they are attending. There are many options. Things are changed by people who can find solutions.

There are a couple of other points I want to make. There are third-party organisations that are running car parks under contract from hospitals. The M3 is being run by a private company under contract for public use. Every time there are not enough cars going through the toll bridge on the M3, the Government puts its hands in its pockets and gives money to that company. That is how it works. Where there is a public private partnership, the Government normally enters an arrangement whereby, if there is a fall-off in the income going in one direction, it will provide it. Where contracts are locked in for five or ten years and there is a fall-off, the solution involves the Government making sure the income is provided. There is no doubt about it.

I do not like discussing my personal experience in the Dáil regularly but about two years ago I was told by a doctor that I had skin cancer. I remember the conversation well. I was on the phone; the meeting was not in person. The doctor told me about the length of the lesion and a great deal about the condition. I remember distinctly that, after talking for about two minutes, he asked whether he could speak to my wife. I asked why and he said he was not sure whether I was taking it all in. He was right because I was not. We are asking people to have such conversations and then fidget around with a credit card, find a booth, pay for a ticket and then get the hell out of the place on time. That is not a fair and humane way to treat people who probably have the darkest cloud of their lives hanging over them on the day. They are stunned into confusion and do not know what side is up. The Government needs to say, "Let’s just fix this." This is a really important issue that needs to be considered.

The Bill can be improved. That is why there is Third Stage and why there is a committee that gives an opportunity to the great unwashed in this Chamber to fix Bills. There will be a list of amendments as long as your arm if my Bill gets to Third Stage, which I hope will happen.

Those are the main issues. We have to focus on the key issue. The key issue concerns the patient, the person suffering significantly from ill health, which on many occasions is life-threatening. The patient also has to suffer a kick in the shins financially. We have a choice: wash our hands of the matter and say it is not our problem or help fix it. The choice is the Government’s.

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