THE BELFAST Trust has drawn criticism following revelations that it is exploring options for increasing hospital car parking charges. 

On Thursday, Stormont's Health Committee heard evidence from the Trust about a forthcoming Sinn Féin Bill, which aims to abolish the charges. West Belfast MLA Aisling Reilly has expressed "deep disappointment" at the Trust's opposition to the Bill. 

Addressing the committee, Belfast Trust's Executive Director of Nursing and User Experience, Brenda Creaney, spoke of the challenges in maintaining "safely run" car parking facilities. 

She said the Trust's "absolute priority" is to ensure patients and their relatives have "ready access" to services, and to guarantee safe parking for staff.

Signalling the Trust's opposition to the Bill, Ms Creaney expressed concern about the impact unfettered car park access would have on patients. 

"Whilst I understand the purpose of the Bill is to ensure ready access to our sites, and we'll be supportive of whatever colleagues in the Assembly decide, certainly I'm also keen that members understand the challenges we would face in doing so," she said.

She said that if parking payment policy was to change the Trust would "support and implement" it, adding, "however, from a practical point of view we don't have enough space".

Ms Creaney said the Trust would look to "streamline" charges and introduce a "stratified" payment system.

The committee heard that Belfast Trust needed an additional 1,500 parking spaces and has encouraged staff with "ready access" to public transport to avoid parking at the hospital.

Sinn Féin MLA Aisling Reilly criticised the Trust's stance on parking charges. She said workers, patients and families shouldn't carry the financial burden the charges bring.

“I am deeply disappointed at this retrograde proposal from the Belfast Trust, particularly at a time when we should all be investigating ways to make the lives of our health and social care workers and patients easier," she said.

“Hospital car-parking charges represent an unfair additional tax on the wages of low paid workers and are an additional burden to patients that are already facing considerable pressures, often due to serious illness."

She added: “The abolition of this unfair additional tax on workers is a step in the right direction if we want to recruit and retain the workers we need across health and social care."

During Thursday's Committee session, fellow West Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll expressed support for the bill, stating that workers are being punished for a lack of investment in public transport and "inadequacy of planning".

"We have a situation in my constituency in West Belfast where large estates on the Springfield Road have no Sunday service, no public transport whatsoever," he said.

"If you're working in the hospital, in the Royal, doing 12-hour shifts or longer, some people are literally unable to get public transport because it's not there."

He described car parking charges as a "tax" on workers and said the charging and fining of workers was "unacceptable".