Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has laid the draft Hospital Parking Charges Bill before the Assembly.

If enacted, the legislation would further postpone the commencement of the Hospital Parking Charges Act (NI) 2022, which would otherwise end fees for parking in hospital car parks.

The move is being taken against the backdrop of severe financial pressures across the health and social care system, with the aim of prioritising resources for frontline services.

The Bill would allow the Department of Health to set, by regulations, a revised date for the 2022 Act to take effect and for charges to be abolished.

Any new date must be no later than 12 May 2029, though it could be earlier if the public finances improve.

Minister Nesbitt said: "Health and Social Care Trusts have been working over the past four years to implement the Hospital Parking Charges (NI) Act 2022. The necessary infrastructure is expected to be in place, and the Act is currently due to commence on 12 May 2026. "However, the Department of Health is facing unprecedented funding challenges in the coming years. The removal of car parking charges would result in lost revenue of approximately £7 million per annum. If the Act comes into operation as planned, this will reduce the funding available for the delivery of frontline Health and Social Care services in 2026/27 and beyond, at a time when a significant funding gap is already anticipated.

"Ordinarily, primary legislation should undergo full Assembly scrutiny, with the Committee Stage forming a key element of this process. However, in this case, compelling grounds exist for using accelerated passage to minimise the risk of charges being abolished temporarily and then reintroduced.

"I am clear that this is not an indefinite deferral. It remains my intention that charges should be removed when the time is right. That is why the Bill also stipulates that the revised operational date must be no later than 12 May 2029, representing a maximum delay of three years."