To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that the forthcoming guide on hospital car parking charges to be issued by the income generation team meets the Department’s disability equality duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. (104005)

The forthcoming guide on hospital car parking charges as an income generation scheme will be assessed for its impact on disability equality as required by the disability discrimination legislation. It is for individual national health service organisations to satisfy themselves that they are meeting their duties under the 2005 Act. This will be highlighted in the aforementioned guide. Guidance on producing disability equality schemes has been made available to the NHS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the compliance of the “Transport and Car Parking” guidance issued by the estates and facilities division in February 2006 with the Department’s disability equality duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005; (104006)

The Department provides advice, such as the “Transport and Car Parking” guidance referred to in the question, to assist national health service bodies in the performance and management of their operations and services, but does not assess or monitor compliance.

NHS bodies are legally autonomous and must satisfy themselves that they are meeting their legislative requirements, such as the disability equality duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.