Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of hospital car parking charges on (a) pensioners, (b) carers, (c) people with long-term conditions and (d) people on low incomes; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has not made any national assessment of the effect of hospital car parking charges on specific groups. Decisions on hospital car parking, including charging, are taken locally by National Health Service foundation trusts and NHS trusts.

On 23 August, 2014, the Department published the NHS patient, visitor and staff car parking principles, which set out a nationally consistent approach for hospitals to take to car parking. This includes guidance on the provision of concessionary parking. The principles are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

To help NHS organisations deliver the above principles the Department published NHS Car Parking Management: Environment and Sustainability (HTM 07-03) on 25 March 2015. This guidance is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-car-parking-management-htm-07-03

Both documents make it clear that NHS organisations should work with patients, staff, visitors, local authorities and public transport providers when planning their parking provision.