Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to make concessions available to reduce hospital car-parking charges for unwaged student nurses.

National Health Service trusts make decisions locally about the provision of car parking to patients, visitors and staff. Providing car parking results in NHS trusts incurring costs for equipment, signage, lighting, insurance, security, administration and maintenance. This money could otherwise be used to provide clinical care to patients. Therefore, decisions about charging staff for parking need to be carefully considered by NHS trusts in this context.