Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Catherine Byrne. The next matter is in the names of Senators Noone and McFadden. As Senator McFadden is not present, Senator Noone may have to go it alone.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. The motion speaks for itself and relates to the high cost of car parking in many public hospitals, especially for long-term patients. I wish to ask the Minister of State if the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, will consider providing car parking guidelines to hospitals or to the private companies that run hospital car parks in an effort to reduce the cost for patients with long-term illness and their families. The exorbitant cost of hospital car parking across the country needs to be addressed. I was dismayed to hear of the wife of a cancer patient who was forced to fork out €1,200 on hospital car parking in Beaumont over a six month period. A three-hour stay in the car park of Tallaght hospital costs €7.50. This is almost twice what shoppers pay at the Square shopping centre, which is a stone's throw from the hospital and which clearly has a similar value in terms of real estate. According to a recent report by the Irish Cancer Society, Dublin hospitals are the most expensive, which is logical in a sense due to real estate prices, etc. A four-hour stay costs at one of these hospitals costs €8.86 on average. At hospitals in Munster, a four-hour stay costs approximately €6.70 on average. This has a huge effect on people's lives at a time when they are extremely vulnerable. Meanwhile, only seven of the 27 cancer treatment hospitals offer weekly discounted car parking rates.

Recently, Age Action researched and produced a report on the experience of older people regarding outpatient services at University Hospital Galway. Some 68% of respondents said they found car parking charges excessive. Paying such high rates on a regular basis adds financial pressure to families and patients who are already under significant physical and psychological stress. Although a discounted rate of car parking is offered to relatives of long-term patients in some hospitals, this is not enough. As a result, I am calling for the issuing of car parking guidelines, similar to those relating to the NHS in the UK, in order to reduce and streamline the cost of parking for patients with long-term illness and their families. I am well aware that, in many instances, private companies run these car parks.We can introduce policy that will affect them by implementing some sort of regulation or at least guidelines to help families in these situations. Hospitals or indeed the companies that are allowed to franchise out or rent the land should not profit hugely at the expense of patients who are in long-term care in particular.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Senator can see, I am not the Minister, Deputy Harris. I am here on his behalf since he could not be here. Over the past decade, parking charges have introduced into many hospitals. It is important to note that these parking charges are part of the series of measures which ensure the operational cost of providing parking services does not cause an adverse impact on their budget. As demand for parking services at hospitals increases, so too does the associated cost of providing these services such as initial capital cost of purchasing or renting parking areas, the cost of developing extra parking spaces, the need to provide and upgrade security schemes in hospital car parks, staffing and general maintenance of the parking services. The cost of providing these services needs to be recouped, and I am sure that we will all agree that the cost of providing these services to visitors, staff and patients does not impact on the hospital's budget to provide health care services to patients.

The Health Service Executive, HSE, has advised that it does not have a single contract to provide parking services at all hospitals. Instead each hospital has a unique arrangement which reflects its specific circumstances. For example, Temple Street Children's University Hospital, the National Maternity Hospital and Mercy University Hospital in Cork do not provide public car parking spaces. Further, some hospitals such as St. Luke's Hospital in Rathgar, Merlin Park University Hospital in Galway and Mallow General Hospital do not have a charge for parking a car. They have free parking. The HSE advises that a number of hospitals use parking revenue solely for maintenance and reinvestment in parking facilities, including payment of loans obtained for upgrading such facilities and investing in security. The remainder of hospitals use parking revenue to cover the cost of parking services, with any additional income contributing to the general hospital budget or to fund research or specific patient facilities.

The Minister, Deputy Harris, is aware that those hospitals which charge parking fees are very conscious of the financial impact of parking costs on patients and their families, particularly those with long-term illness. Consequently, the hospitals have introduced a maximum daily fixed parking charge and thus have capped these expenses. While there is no national HSE policy covering car parking charges, the executive advises the Minister that it keeps hospital parking charges under review.

We must take into account public transport services when considering further development of the hospital system. This is evidenced by planning and development, and support for the expansion of public transport facilities, especially for the new national children's hospital. We continue to provide more transport choices to the public when visiting their loved ones in hospitals.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of the State for the response she gave on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris. I understand that she is not actually the Minister, as she said. I refer to recouping costs and obviously that has to be part of the overall picture. There will be costs of security and it is important that they are maintained. I anticipated the answer I received because I said in my speech that I know that the HSE is going to say that it does not actually manage the hospitals. I suppose I have to take the answer at face value.

What I would like and will request from the Department is an outline of what is being charged at a discount rate for the hospitals which the Minister, Deputy Harris, says is actually happening. It is stated in the reply that hospitals have introduced a maximum daily fixed parking charge, thus capping this expense. I am aware of that but I am not aware that it happens in all hospitals. I would like to see that is definitely in place but also what it means in real terms for families of patients. I will follow up with the Department in that regard separately. I request that the HSE and the Minister, who is in charge of everything related to health care, do everything to ensure the private companies which are in operation in hospitals are given guidelines or regulations to ensure people are not charged an excessive amount when their loved ones are in hospital.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have taken note of some of the Senator's concerns. I, too, have concerns about the charges in hospitals. However, there are some hospitals that have a maximum price. I can only refer to Tallaght hospital, which charges €10 for 24 hours, while St. James's Hospital charges €15 and hospitals in Cork and Limerick charge €15. A sum of €1,200 is an exorbitant amount to ask anyone to pay over any period of time when people are very sick. I know on a personal level, and I have been in this position myself, that when my brother was very seriously ill in Tallaght hospital last year and who later died, arrangements were made with the family and his eight children to be able to visit him on a frequent basis. They were very co-operative in the hospital about providing parking for them at a very low rate because his family was with him 24-7 for at least three weeks. There are ways for hospitals to look at that. What the Senator said is very relevant to some of the experiences I have had myself around the HSE not having a proper guideline for hospitals. I will raise that with the Minister myself.