Sinn Féin TD for Clare, Donna McGettigan has called for a funded plan to phase out hospital car parking charges, saying patients and families should not be charged simply because they need healthcare or have to visit a loved one.
Figures provided by the HSE in response to a Parliamentary Question by Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, show that hospital car parking income at University Hospital Limerick rose from €446,787 in 2021 to €1,437637 in 2025 – a 222% increase. Statewide, income increased from €7.39 million in 2021 to €17.76 million in 2025.
Deputy McGettigan said: “Income from hospital car parking fees at UHL rose from €446,787 in 2021 to €1,437637 in 2025 – a 222% increase. Hospital car parking charges are a charge on being sick and visiting families and friends in hospital.
No one chooses to be sick or to have a sick child or relative in hospital. Yet patients and families in Clare and the wider Mid-West are being asked to pay these charges again and again. Appreciating the challenges faced by patients and staff at UHL when it comes to the level of overcrowding and the cancellation of elective procedures, it’s disappointing that these charges are being applied while many patients are treated on trolleys and in hospital corridors.”
“People with disabilities, carers and families visiting loved ones in hospital are also being hit.”
The Clare Deputy added: “The amount being raised through hospital parking has increased dramatically. Hospitals should not have to depend on money collected from sick people and their families.
“We need a funded plan to phase these charges out. The Government should provide replacement funding as charges are phased out, while ensuring hospital parking remains available for patients and visitors.”