ACTION FOR SICK CHILDREN PARK THE CHARGES CAMPAIGN

Early day motion 460, tabled 10 January 2005 by Lynne Jones (Labour). Signed by 50 members.

That this House supports the Park the Car, Park the Charges Campaign by Action for Sick Children; notes that a telephone audit of 67 hospital trusts done by Action for Sick Children revealed that some hospital trusts are charging flat rates of around ú2 an hour, bringing a 24-hour stay to around ú50, whilst some trusts only charge ú1 per day, and that the average parking charge for a 24 hour stay was ú8.50 with more than a third of respondents charging more than ú10 per day; notes that for many parents, when a child needs hospital treatment, public transport does not allow them to juggle work commitments and looking after other children; and therefore calls on the Government both to radically improve public transport and to direct hospital trusts to replace unnecessary parking costs with family-friendly provisions for parents visiting a child in hospital.

Signatures by party: Labour 29, Liberal Democrat 13, DUP 3, Labour/Co-operative 3, Conservative 1, Plaid Cymru 1.