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Hospitals: Parking

Volume 461: debated on Friday 15 June 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons hospital staff are not exempt from hospital parking fees; and if she will make a statement. (141213)

Arrangements and charges for car parking on healthcare premises are a matter for individual national health service bodies, taking account of all the relevant local factors. This includes what, if any, concessions or exemptions to offer hospital staff.

NHS bodies have income generation powers which allow them to raise additional income by marketing any spare capacity resulting from a non-core function, or by exploiting intellectual property rights. Certain rules must be followed, including the fact that profits raised must be used to improve health services. Charging for car parking is a common example of an income generation scheme.