Clamping is due to resume for vehicles belonging to hospital staff across Dublin at the end of this month. Brought in to help frontline workers during the height of the pandemic, hospital workers have been exempt to paying for on-street parking around hospitals or health centres since early March.
Staff who displayed their ID card or a note on official hospital/GP practice letterhead paper were exempt to clampers, however, the practice is to begin again at the end of the month as according to chief executive of Dublin City Council, the measure can't be sustained any longer than that.
The Irish Times reports that Mr Keegan said the measures would be discontinued on August 31st. In a letter to councillors, he is quoted as saying:
"It has been decided, with considerable regret, that the enforcement concession in respect of HSE staff parking in the vicinity of hospitals cannot be sustained.
"A decision has now been made that the concession will end on August 31st, after which a full parking enforcement service will operate in the vicinity of hospitals."
According to Mr Keegan, it was always intended to be a temporary measure however many have reacted negatively to the decision to reintroduce parking fees for healthcare workers.
