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Hospital parking motion proposed Hospital parking 'being abused'
(about 7 hours later)
An assembly motion on Tuesday will call for all hospital car parking charges in Northern Ireland to be abolished. Free parking at Antrim Area Hospital is being abused by some motorists, an MLA has told the Stormont Health Committee.
The motion has been proposed by the health committee. UUP member David McClarty said at least one driver had left a car at the hospital and taken a taxi to Belfast International Airport to go on holiday.
However, Ulster Unionist assembly member Sam Gardiner, who sits on the committee, opposes the move. The committee has called for hospital parking charges to be abolished.
He fears free parking schemes could be abused by shoppers or commuters, particularly at hospitals near town or city centres. However, Ulster Unionist deputy leader Danny Kennedy accused other parties of indulging in "Santa wish list-style politics".
"It's easy to propose populist motions like this which sound good when you first hear them and then, when you think about them for a bit, you realise just how damaging this could really be," he said.
"What if patients, relatives or staff could not find a parking space because someone had used the space for an all-day park and had gone into the town centre for shopping or even to work?"
The deputy chair of the committee, Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Fein, said she hoped the motion would be passed.
"The (health) minister can go some way to alleviate the stress for people who find themselves in hospital by scrapping these charges," she said.
"Given the current economic climate and the financial burden on many citizens, to ask people to pay for visiting their loved ones who are in hospital is unacceptable."
In May, Health Minister Michael McGimpsey announced free parking for very ill patients and their families.In May, Health Minister Michael McGimpsey announced free parking for very ill patients and their families.
He said the decision to charge other patients and visitors who made lengthy or frequent visits was up to individual trusts.He said the decision to charge other patients and visitors who made lengthy or frequent visits was up to individual trusts.