Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. In nine hospitals, car parking is free. We have a bunch which charge up to €10 and then we have those three hospitals to which I referred. The latter will, understandably, tell us that this is all well and good but they need money to make it up. It is reasonable for them to state that there would be a funding shortfall in the context of the provision of healthcare services if the fees were lower. This is something we can certainly look at. We can run the numbers on what it would cost these three hospitals to reduce the charge from €15 to €10. Indeed, the hospitals will say that, much of the time, €15 is okay for a many people when they are coming in. It costs us approximately €300 to provide a CT scan. These scans are provided because the State funds them. Some of the hospitals may say that many people who are coming to get State-provided healthcare are okay with paying €15. However, there are others who simply cannot afford it. Rather than just bringing the charge down, we must ask if there is a different way of doing it. Certainly, the guiding principle must be that healthcare must always be affordable. Cost cannot be a barrier. We will continue to look at this matter.

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