What steps it is taking to deal with any problems of NHS staff leaving posts at hospitals at which car parking charges have been introduced…

Neither we within the Scottish Government, nor officials within NHS boards where car parking charging schemes are in place, have any evidence that staff are leaving posts at such hospitals to work at other NHSScotland locations where car parking charges have not been introduced.
It is clear that car parking spaces cannot be provided for everyone and we must strive to achieve an appropriate balance between the needs of patients, visitors and staff in the use of car parking spaces, especially where these are limited because of the constraint of a particular site. We shall continue to ensure that charges are only introduced where appropriate and necessary and that the level of charge is reasonable, with provisions in place for an appropriate allocation of staff car parking permits. Discussions and decisions on car parking policies will continue to be taken forward on a partnership approach to ensure that car parking schemes are applied consistently, fairly and transparently.