Labour proposes to end all hospital parking charges

Published on Monday 12 January 2009 21:14

A ROW has broken out in the Scottish Parliament after a new bill was put forward by Labour to abolish all hospital car-parking charges.

The SNP have accused Labour of hypocrisy because the charges were introduced when Labour were in power.

The private member's bill by Glasgow Springburn MSP Paul Martin adds to a recent Scottish government edict banning charges. The bill includes Scotland's three private finance initiative hospitals – Ninewells in Dundee and the Glasgow and Edinburgh Royal Infirmaries – which continue to levy charges.

When health secretary Nicola Sturgeon axed hospital charges, it was considered too expensive to include PFI because buying out the contracts would cost tens of millions of pounds. But Mr Martin claims the cost has been over-estimated.

"If commercial sites like Braehead and the Fort can provide free parking, it is a sad reflection that people who are being cared for in hospital, and their families, have to pay to park," he said.

The bill has welcomed by public sector union Unison, whose members working at hospitals must pay the charges.

Unison Scottish organiser Matt McLaughlin said: "We are backing this bill to ensure that the needs of patients, visitors and staff are met, in Glasgow and across Scotland."

But SNP Lothians MSP and former general practitioner, Dr Ian McKee, hit out at Labour.

"It beggars belief that Paul Martin is now calling for an end to these parking charges – it was a Labour government that introduced them," he said.