David Cullinan

I think there does need to be a plan.

I've called on the government to publish a plan

work with hospital managers, phase them out over a number of years, but do this as part of reducing the cost of healthcare.

And I don't make any apologies to anybody, Clare, for arguing for a public system where taxpayers' money is used to make sure that patients are treated quickly as possible, fairly, and that we reduce the cost burden on people being sick.

I think that's what a fair society and a fair government should do.

Yeah, exactly.

That's it.

And what I said is that there has to be a plan and consultation with obviously patient groups like with the Irish Cancer Society, but also with hospital managers.

So this can be done very quickly.

I'm not saying this should be a long, drawn out process.

I think it can be done over two or three years.

My main concern is that I understand from talking to hospital managers in the first instance, they want to reassurance that the income generated, which is used to fund

health care in hospitals is obviously replaced with state funding but also that we protect the hospital car parking spaces from being used by people who might use them for other general purposes and not for visiting a patient or being sick in a hospital so I think those issues can be worked out we have the technologies to do it what's missing at the moment is the political will so as we said there was a program for government commitment not to abolish the charges which is unfortunate but to explore ways to reduce public hospital parking fees

I haven't seen any evidence that any action has been taken.

I don't know what studies have been done.

So I would want the minister and the government to start the process, get a plan in place and then let's phase these charges out.

And I think that's the fairest thing to do for patients and for people who are sick and people who visit people who are sick and also people who work in hospitals as well.

And there's a different issue about car parking availability in hospitals.

I think obviously that's part of capital plans as well.

And that also needs to be looked at.