Hospital parking charges to remain in place across Northern Ireland until at least 2029

Entrance to visitor car park at Antrim Area Hospital

Patients and families across Northern Ireland will continue paying hospital parking charges for at least the next three years after new legislation formally passed into law.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt confirmed the Hospital Parking Charges Bill has now received Royal Assent, delaying plans to abolish charges that had originally been due to end under legislation passed in 2022.

The move means hospital parking fees will remain in place while the Department of Health continues to face what ministers describe as severe financial pressures across the health and social care system.

The legislation allows the Department to postpone the abolition of parking charges until no later than 12 May 2029, although ministers say charges could still be scrapped earlier if public finances improve.

Pressure on health budgets drove decision

The Department said the Bill was introduced to avoid a £7 million loss to Health and Social Care budgets at a time when services are already under significant strain.

According to the Minister, removing parking charges immediately would have forced cuts elsewhere in the system, directly impacting frontline care for patients and families.

Mr Nesbitt said:

“Removing hospital parking charges would have stripped £7m from our Health & Social Care system at a time of severe budgetary constraints. It would simply have been unaffordable.

“Such a loss in the current financial environment would have resulted in reductions elsewhere, directly affecting services provided to patients and families.

“This legislation therefore protects frontline services from that immediate and unmanaged loss of income.

“The Bill allows for a deferral of a maximum of three years, and no later than May 2029. Importantly, if financial sustainability is achieved sooner than expected, the legislation provides for the 2022 Act to come into operation at an earlier date.”

What the legislation changes

The Hospital Parking Charges Act 2022 had originally paved the way for hospital parking charges to be abolished across Northern Ireland.

However, the newly passed legislation effectively pauses that process by giving the Department power to choose a new implementation date through future regulations.

Under the law:

• Hospital parking charges can remain in place until no later than 12 May 2029

• The Department can introduce free parking earlier if financial conditions improve

• Any future move to abolish charges will still require Assembly approval before taking effect

The Bill was introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly in March 2026 using accelerated passage procedures.

The Department said the fast-tracked approach was designed to prevent a situation where parking charges were briefly abolished and then potentially reintroduced shortly afterwards.

Patients and families continue to face costs

The decision is likely to prove controversial among patients, carers, and families who regularly travel to hospitals for treatment, appointments, or visiting relatives.

Parking costs have long been criticised by campaigners who argue they place additional financial pressure on people already dealing with illness, lengthy hospital stays, or repeated outpatient visits.

However, ministers maintain that current financial realities leave little room for replacing the revenue without affecting already stretched services elsewhere in the healthcare system.

The legislation now provides a legal framework allowing the Executive to revisit the issue if budget conditions improve before the 2029 deadline.