Decisions on hospital car parking, including charging, are taken locally as National Health Service organisations have the autonomy to make decisions that best suit their local circumstances. However the NHS patient visitor and staff car parking principles published by the Department on 23 August 2014 provide clear direction and leadership and require NHS organisations to publish details of their car parking arrangements including financial information relating to the charges and income which allows patients and the public to hold the NHS locally to account where unfair parking charges occur.<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p> <\/p> Information about the cost and availability of car parking across the NHS is published annually as part of two data collections - the Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment and the Estates Return Information Collection. This information is publicly available and will also help people hold their local hospitals to account.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1201", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alistair Burt"}
}
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, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Alistair Burt"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-09-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-09-14T15:58:32.26Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-09-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Hospitals: Parking"}
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, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to tackle expensive hospital car parking charges since the publication of its ground rules in August 2014.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4079", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Julian Sturdy"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/935013", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/935013/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department keeps the issue of car parking charges under review following its 2015 guidance on National Health Service patient, visitor and staff car parking which is available at the following link:<\/p> <\/p>