Sense and sensitivity
Guess who'll have a satisfied smile on her face when the Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, announces at Labour's party conference that a re-elected Labour government would scrap car parking charges for in-patients attending hospitals in England?
The promise, we're told, will be to phase out the car parking charges over three years. The move will cost £140 million each year and would be paid for by cutting unidentified "bureaucracy and back room costs".
Apparently, if necessary, the UK government would legislate to introduce the move.
Not the policy of abolishing car parking charges for all as introduced by Edwina Hart and the Welsh Assembly Government. This is for in-patients only - not a free for all.
All the same she would probably be forgiven for recalling :
"We don't think it makes sense to spend money that's currently being spent on patient care - getting people treated faster and better - on subsidising car parks. If that's what Scotland and Wales want to do, that's one of the joys of devolution. We're spending the money on improving patient care".
By the sounds of things, it makes a bit more sense now than it did then.
UPDATE
A word of praise from Wayne David now over the way Edwina Hart has 'led the way' over car parking charges.
'I welcome the statement by Andy Burnham today that the NHS in England is following the Labour-led approach in Wales to free parking at hospitals. Mr Burnham clearly signalled his intention today to give free parking permits to families visiting in patients. This is an example of Wales leading the way, and I applaud it.'
Why no word from Mr David's boss? Perhaps because the Welsh Secretary just as he did ?
I'm Betsan Powys, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
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