Revenue generated from parking fees at public hospitals almost doubled from €7.6 million in 2020 to €15.1 million in 2024, new figures show.
The highest amount was made at Cork University Hospital (CUH), which generated €1.2 million in fees in 2020 and €2.6 million in 2024.
St James’s Hospital in Dublin collected €1 million in 2020 and €1.6 million in 2024, while Beaumont Hospital in the capital made €1.3 million in 2020 and €950,000 in 2024.
The figures were released by the Health Service Executive to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide via a parliamentary question. The Cork East TD said the increase over the five-year period was “substantial”, even allowing for any drop in revenues during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Quaide said the cost and availability of parking at hospitals can vary widely. He called on the Government to introduce “capped charges for patients undergoing treatment, flexible passes for patients and families, and a coherent national approach to hospital car parking fees instead of the current postcode lottery”.
In some cases, he said, the revenue appeared to be absorbed into general hospital budgets rather than being ring-fenced to improve parking facilities.
“Patients and families are being charged within a system that is inconsistent in how it records hospital car parking income and inconsistent in where that income is spent,” he said.
The HSE said car parking charges were “set and managed at individual hospital level”.
A spokesperson for HSE Dublin and Midlands, which oversees St James’s Hospital among others, said the charges were “in place to manage demand for limited parking capacity ... Income generated from car parking is not a profitmaking measure. It is used to offset the significant costs associated with providing and maintaining parking facilities.”
The spokesperson said the HSE will continue to keep car parking arrangements under review, with a focus on balancing fair access for patients with the operational needs of busy hospital sites.
A spokesperson for HSE South West, which oversees CUH and others, said subsidised parking tickets were “available for certain patient groups, such as those attending oncology or paediatric services, with options for daily or weekly rates”.
A spokesperson for Dublin and North East, under which Beaumont Hospital falls, said revenue generated from hospital car parks was “used to develop extra parking spaces ... and ensure the general maintenance of the car parks”.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, in February, said hospitals that charge parking fees were cognisant of the financial implications of parking costs for patients and families.
“Consequently, many hospitals have introduced reduced-rate parking for long-term patients ... and all hospitals that charge for parking have a fixed maximum daily rate,” she said.
