Latest news with #ProgrammeForGovernment
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
Calls for uniform approach to hospital car park charges
Aontú is calling for all party support for proposed legislation to make the first three hours of hospital car parking free to patients and their families. The Department of Health says it is working with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to explore ways to lower hospital car parking charges in line with a commitment in the Programme For Government to reduce the burden on patients and their families. "Hospitals that charge parking fees understand the financial burdens this can place on patients and their families," a Department of Health statement said. "Many hospitals have some form of exemptions or allowances in place such as the option of flexible day passes or multi-trip entry passes for regular hospital attenders, and various concessions based on the type of inpatient." The HSE also said a national review of car parking charges is being communicated to Regional Executive Management of Health Regions, to explore ways to minimise hospital charges, as committed in the Programme for Government. At Dublin's Mater Hospital on a weekday morning, the multi-storey car park is already full at 9.30am. Among those lucky enough to get one of the last spaces is the daughter of a hip replacement patient who travelled from a rural area in Co Kildare to collect her elderly father. She told RTÉ's News at One that the parking was expensive. "It's €3.20 an hour and you could be here for a few hours. Every time I come up it's nearly €15 per day, so if you're coming up twice or three times a week that's €30 or €40". Her father pointed out that public transport is not an option from their rural home. "I do feel it's very unfair. I've worked for forty years and paid tax," he said. The Irish Farmer's Journal has been highlighting the burden on those travelling from rural areas to hospital appointments. A recent headline reads: "Are hospital car park charges a tax on ill health?" Irish Country Living Editor Ciara O'Leary said they also looked at the income generated by hospitals from the charges. "The total income that flowed from car parking charges from hospitals in Ireland across 2023, which was the most recent figures available came to near €16m at €15.7m," The Irish Cancer Society has also long campaigned for measures to ease the financial burden on cancer patients attending hospital on a regular basis. "More hospitals have introduced concessions, but it still remains a postcode lottery," CEO of the Irish Cancer Society Averil Power said. She said that 12 out 27 hospitals have free parking for cancer patients, while others have concessions, but some charge the full rate with charges in some parts of Dublin several times higher than the rest of the country. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín called for a uniform approach to be imposed by the Government. "Most political parties have this policy in their manifesto before they go to election," he said. However, previous efforts to implement a uniform approach to hospital parking charges have gone nowhere. In 2018, the HSE undertook a national review of car parking charges under the instructions of then health minister Simon Harris. It proposed a cap on charges, and concessions for regular hospital users.
Belfast Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Value of Stormont Executive's office in Beijing questioned
The chair of the Assembly's scrutiny committee for the Executive Office suggested it cost around a quarter of a million pounds a year to run the office in Beijing. The Executive also has offices in Washington DC and Brussels. It has had a presence in Beijing since 2014, before then-first minister Arlene Foster opened an Executive bureau in December 2016. Executive Committee chair Paula Bradshaw said she had concerns around its value for money, after the committee heard from the three bureaux during a meeting last month. Executive Office official Brenda Henderson said she appreciated there is frustration around transparency and accounting for what they do. 'One of the things that I want to do is to get that coherency across all three bureaux and with the international relations team in Belfast to make sure that we have a clear narrative, that our communications plans can let you see, and let our ministers see, exactly who we're meeting, what is the outcome of that, what does it mean, the 'so what' question in terms of the Programme For Government,' she told MLAs. 'Work is already under way on that.' Ms Bradshaw followed up by asking at what point would they conclude it is not value for money, and that they could be doing other things with that money. Ms Henderson said there are different ways to measure value for money. 'One of the things that I know that the overseas offices do is that they build relationships, you have to build those relationships before you utilise them, but there are things about companies, investment, increased student places they bring,' she said. 'I think what we need to do is be more absolutely transparent about that and be clear about the metrics, what we can measure and that we stand in front of those.' Permanent Secretary David Malcolm said he can 'see behind the curtain', and knows what the Beijing office is doing, He expressed frustration it was not communicated. He said last month the vice minister for education in China visited Northern Ireland and signed an agreement with the Confucious Institute in Belfast and the Department for the Economy for a £34 million programme over the next 10 years. He also said in Beijing this St Patrick's Day, there were two community organisations led by Chris Hazzard, including young people who had never left Ireland before. 'There is significant work we're doing,' he said. 'We are also talking to the Chinese Consul about a mini conference here later on,' he said. 'The Chinese have agreed to fund three placements in Beijing through the Arts Council to give people the opportunity to break into the Chinese market. There is a tremendous amount we're doing.' He added: 'Not just in Beijing, in Washington, we punch miles above our weight in the representational role we get, and indeed in Brussels.'
The Herald Scotland
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Value of Stormont Executive's office in Beijing questioned
The Executive also has offices in Washington DC and Brussels. It has had a presence in Beijing since 2014, before then-first minister Arlene Foster opened an Executive bureau in December 2016. Executive Office chair Paula Bradshaw (Brian Lawless/PA) Executive Committee chair Paula Bradshaw said she had concerns around its value for money, after the committee heard from the three bureaux during a meeting last month. Executive Office official Brenda Henderson said she appreciated there is frustration around transparency and accounting for what they do. 'One of the things that I want to do is to get that coherency across all three bureaux and with the international relations team in Belfast to make sure that we have a clear narrative, that our communications plans can let you see, and let our ministers see, exactly who we're meeting, what is the outcome of that, what does it mean, the 'so what' question in terms of the Programme For Government,' she told MLAs. 'Work is already under way on that.' Ms Bradshaw followed up by asking at what point would they conclude it is not value for money, and that they could be doing other things with that money. Ms Henderson said there are different ways to measure value for money. 'One of the things that I know that the overseas offices do is that they build relationships, you have to build those relationships before you utilise them, but there are things about companies, investment, increased student places they bring,' she said. 'I think what we need to do is be more absolutely transparent about that and be clear about the metrics, what we can measure and that we stand in front of those.' Permanent Secretary David Malcolm said he can 'see behind the curtain', and knows what the Beijing office is doing, He expressed frustration it was not communicated. He said last month the vice minister for education in China visited Northern Ireland and signed an agreement with the Confucious Institute in Belfast and the Department for the Economy for a £34 million programme over the next 10 years. He also said in Beijing this St Patrick's Day, there were two community organisations led by Chris Hazzard, including young people who had never left Ireland before. 'There is significant work we're doing,' he said. 'We are also talking to the Chinese Consul about a mini conference here later on,' he said. 'The Chinese have agreed to fund three placements in Beijing through the Arts Council to give people the opportunity to break into the Chinese market. There is a tremendous amount we're doing.' He added: 'Not just in Beijing, in Washington, we punch miles above our weight in the representational role we get, and indeed in Brussels.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Value of Stormont Executive's office in Beijing questioned
The value for money of the Northern Ireland Executive's office in the Chinese capital has been questioned. The chair of the Assembly's scrutiny committee for the Executive Office suggested it cost around a quarter of a million pounds a year to run the office in Beijing. The Executive also has offices in Washington DC and Brussels. It has had a presence in Beijing since 2014, before then-first minister Arlene Foster opened an Executive bureau in December 2016. Executive Committee chair Paula Bradshaw said she had concerns around its value for money, after the committee heard from the three bureaux during a meeting last month. Executive Office official Brenda Henderson said she appreciated there is frustration around transparency and accounting for what they do. 'One of the things that I want to do is to get that coherency across all three bureaux and with the international relations team in Belfast to make sure that we have a clear narrative, that our communications plans can let you see, and let our ministers see, exactly who we're meeting, what is the outcome of that, what does it mean, the 'so what' question in terms of the Programme For Government,' she told MLAs. 'Work is already under way on that.' Ms Bradshaw followed up by asking at what point would they conclude it is not value for money, and that they could be doing other things with that money. Ms Henderson said there are different ways to measure value for money. 'One of the things that I know that the overseas offices do is that they build relationships, you have to build those relationships before you utilise them, but there are things about companies, investment, increased student places they bring,' she said. 'I think what we need to do is be more absolutely transparent about that and be clear about the metrics, what we can measure and that we stand in front of those.' Permanent Secretary David Malcolm said he can 'see behind the curtain', and knows what the Beijing office is doing, He expressed frustration it was not communicated. He said last month the vice minister for education in China visited Northern Ireland and signed an agreement with the Confucious Institute in Belfast and the Department for the Economy for a £34 million programme over the next 10 years. He also said in Beijing this St Patrick's Day, there were two community organisations led by Chris Hazzard, including young people who had never left Ireland before. 'There is significant work we're doing,' he said. 'We are also talking to the Chinese Consul about a mini conference here later on,' he said. 'The Chinese have agreed to fund three placements in Beijing through the Arts Council to give people the opportunity to break into the Chinese market. There is a tremendous amount we're doing.' He added: 'Not just in Beijing, in Washington, we punch miles above our weight in the representational role we get, and indeed in Brussels.'
Evening Standard
04-06-2025
- General
- Evening Standard
Value of Stormont Executive's office in Beijing questioned
'One of the things that I want to do is to get that coherency across all three bureaux and with the international relations team in Belfast to make sure that we have a clear narrative, that our communications plans can let you see, and let our ministers see, exactly who we're meeting, what is the outcome of that, what does it mean, the 'so what' question in terms of the Programme For Government,' she told MLAs.
