More than €2.5m of emergency department visit fees have been left unpaid at hospitals around the country.

Latest figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE) show a total of just over €9.26m in net charges were raised in 2013.

But of that, just over €7m in emergency department charges was collected.

The HSE has advised that the value of charges collected in any given year does not necessarily relate to the charges raised in that year.

However, the charges left unpaid are thought to be significant - as outstanding 2012 bills paid the following year would be included in the amount for 2013.

The HSE is being criticised for not doing enough to collect the money and for failing to distribute it elsewhere.

Fine Gael's Seanad spokesperson on health, Colm Burke, said: "It is imperative that we make every effort to prevent this kind of waste in our health system and to ensure that monies from emergency department charges are used effectively and resourcefully in furtherance of appropriate health care areas."