To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what consideration the Northern Health and Social Care Trust gave to (i) the travel to work area and; (ii) the availability of public transport in its proposal to introduce car parking charges for staff at the Causeway and Antrim Area Hospitals.

The Trust has advised that it carried out a staff survey in relation to Antrim Hospital, gathering information on staff travel to work areas. In subsequent negotiations with Translink, the fact that the largest number of staff travel from the Ballymena area was one of the reasons they were prepared to include a stop at the front of Antrim Hospital for the Ballymena to Belfast Goldline Express Service which has been operating since summer 2012. The Antrim Ulsterbus Town Service (321e) also stops at the hospital to facilitate staff living in the Antrim area.

It is intended to complete a similar survey for the Causeway Hospital in the coming weeks, although the Coleraine Goldline Express service and the Ulsterbus Town service currently provide a service to the Hospital.