In 2016, the Irish Cancer Society published a report entitled Park the Charges in a bid to have hospital parking charges waived for cancer patients. The Government pledged to act on this but nothing happened. In 2020, the Government committed to putting a cap on these charges but nothing happened. In 2022, the Irish Cancer Society published a report which highlighted the hidden costs of parking for families that use hospital car parks on a frequent basis. Today, 40% of hospitals continue to charge full parking fees to cancer patients and other patients undergoing lifesaving treatment. Some patients require daily treatment, and these parking charges can run to hundreds every month. Patients who are very ill have to cope with physical and emotional trauma. It is unjust to impose an additional financial strain on already vulnerable people. Will the Government do the right thing and scrap these charges?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It can be an issue for families, particularly when they are already dealing with all the trauma and difficulty of undergoing cancer treatment. It can be a difficult time. We have taken important steps, some of which were called for by the Irish Cancer Society. Probably the biggest it called for was the abolition of inpatient charges. That is now fully in place, along with the expansion of 500,000 GP cards and the reduction in the drug payment scheme cap from €110 to €80. Important measures have already been taken to reduce financial costs. I acknowledge what the Deputy said, however. A small number of hospitals still charge more than the rate of €10 per day. I think there are four, but I will check. We are engaged with all of those hospitals on a number of fronts. The first is to find a way to bring the maximum amount down to €10, which is standard across most of the other hospitals. Second, for families who cannot afford it, is to find a way to make sure there is a quick and responsive system whereby they can access parking for free.