Hospital Car Parking Charges

The right hon. Gentleman is exactly right. Too often, these charges are imposed without any consu...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not take too many interventions, but I would be honoured to take one from the hon. Gentlem...

I agree with the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Sir Edward Davey). A lot of the hos...

That is the sad thing. Many private companies are making profits from the taxpayer and the most v...

rose—

Mindful of the advice from the Chair, I shall give way one last time.

My right hon. Friend is being most generous. I should declare that I am the joint chair of the al...

I am very proud to have worked with my hon. Friend on the FairFuelUK campaign to keep fuel duty l...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I will give way one last time, as I want to be fair to Mr Deputy Speaker who spoke to me before t...

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that the national health service is not best placed for admi...

The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. The crucial thing is that the NHS does not lose out...

Order. I am bringing in an eight-minute limit. I call Melanie Onn to continue the debate.

3...

I am very grateful to be able to take part in this important debate. I congratulate the right hon...

Does my hon. Friend agree that, as well as the issues that have been raised powerfully so far, th...

My hon. Friend raises an important point. There is room for flexibility, and all trusts should be...

The hon. Lady makes a very good point about congestion, with people trying to find parking spaces...

That is certainly worth looking at. We need a system that does not put people off attending their...

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Melanie Onn), who made a very...

As my hon. Friend says, part of the problem is that so many hospital trusts are locked into long-...

My hon. Friend eloquently makes a very important point, and I am very glad that he has raised it....

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Telford (Lucy Allan). We all know that our NHS is ...

I think that this is grossly unacceptable, in the case of people visiting sick babies and, indeed...

I completely agree. I have accompanied my parents to hospital appointments. My mum sits there and...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (Emma Hardy), w...

My hon. Friend is making a good point: the cost falls disproportionately on those who live in rur...

I thank my right hon. Friend for emphasising the point I am making. Many patients have to travel ...

I thank the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon) for securing this important debate on on...

I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say that I find it iniquitous that anyone with a bl...

I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman.

How are my constituents meant to afford these e...

Thank you for calling me to speak, Madam Deputy Speaker. This takes me back a long way, to 2006, ...

It seems to me that there should be staff car parks. There should be a set-up in which staff have...

That happens in some parts of the world. For example, that is what they do at the Luton and Dunst...

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate and to follow the right hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead ...

First, I wish to thank the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon) for having secured and in...

We have heard a lot about staff and patients and families. My right hon. Friend the Member for He...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his excellent intervention, and I could not agree more. We have he...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Mr Dhesi), and I congratulate th...

Does the hon. Lady agree that in the 21st century, means-testing at the point of delivery, which ...

I am so glad that the right hon. Gentleman raised that issue, because the concession that I was t...

I congratulate the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon) on securing this important debate...

My hon. Friend talks about travel difficulties. Does he agree that reductions in the number of bu...

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. People in rural areas or who live far away from their lo...

It is an honour to speak in this debate, and indeed in any debate in which the NHS is at the hear...

The hon. Lady has been very generous in giving way, and I thank her for her kind remarks. Given t...

Indeed. Where there is a will there is a way. It can happen; it can be done. Basically, it is a m...

I am pleased to have the opportunity to respond to this debate on a very important subject. I am ...

As you have.

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that comment.

I am grateful to Members on both sides o...

The hon. Lady is making a compelling case, as have most Members. Public transport has its place f...

I entirely agree and thank the right hon. Gentleman for his intervention.

Patients and care...

May I begin by commending my right hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon) for securing...

I thank my hon. Friend for his kind words, but I must say that I disagree with what he has said. ...

With respect to my right hon. Friend, it is a statement of fact, as confirmed by my officials—I a...

May I push the Minister a little bit on blue badge holders? Quite rightly, blue badge holders are...

Absolutely. As my right hon. Friend will be aware, the guidance speaks to that. My hon. Friend th...

I have huge respect for my hon. Friend, but the fact is that the guidelines in relation to blue b...

I am very happy to look at such cases and to speak to those trusts to understand this better, but...

Would the Minister accept, though, that people being ill and suffering distress at hospitals is n...

Of course, but equally the hon. Lady must recognise that the fact that charges are still being ap...

Will the Minister give way? He is being very generous.

I will, but then I will press on, because I want to give my right hon. Friend the Member for Harl...

I am sure we have time, on this important issue. The Minister raised the issue of complexity. Cle...

A point was raised about whether free parking could be addressed through tokens and barriers, but...

I thank the hon. Members who have spoken from both sides of the House. The Minister has heard abo...