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Hospital parking charges in Northern Ireland will continue to be in effect for at least the foreseeable future after legislation deferring their abolition passed into law. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt made the announcement, confirming that the Hospital Parking Charges Bill has now received Royal Assent.
The original Hospital Parking Charges Act 2022 had provided for the abolition of hospital parking charges, but the new legislation defers that provision in response to severe financial pressures facing the health and social care system. The Bill enables the Department to set a new date, by regulations, for the 2022 Act to come into operation, with that date to be no later than 12 May 2029. Any such regulations would require approval by the Assembly before coming into force.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: "Removing hospital parking charges would have stripped £7m from our Health & Social Care system at a time of severe budgetary constraints. It would simply have been unaffordable. Such a loss in the current financial environment would have resulted in reductions elsewhere, directly affecting services provided to patients and families."
He added: "This legislation therefore protects frontline services from that immediate and unmanaged loss of income. The Bill allows for a deferral of a maximum of three years, and no later than May 2029. Importantly, if financial sustainability is achieved sooner than expected, the legislation provides for the 2022 Act to come into operation at an earlier date."
The Minister has indicated that the prioritisation of funding for frontline services was central to the decision to introduce the Bill.
